A Darker Destiny
by grace1237
Summary: Only Lily Potter died on Hallowean 1981. However, Harry's life isn't quite as happy as you'd expect, so he does one of the only few things a young child can do: he runs away.
1. Chapter 1 Runaway

**A Darker Destiny**

**

* * *

Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**

* * *

Note:**This was written in response to Brilliance of the Moon's Challenge #5.

* * *

**Chapter 1 **Runaway

It was a clear, cool night. The air was crisp and the narrow road that ran through the tiny village in the valley was empty, with the exception of a grey cat that wound its way between the dustbins next to the pub. The houses that stood on either side of the road were all dark and the only sound to be heard was the slight rustle of leaves.

The dusty road carried on out of the village to the open countryside. On either side of the road were open fields, some bare earth; others were lush and green. Above the fields, the stars twinkled in the cloudless sky and the sliver of moon shone faintly.

In an old cottage that stood to one side of the road, just outside the village, a baby slept peacefully in his bedroom, which was decorated in a warm yellow and touches of red. The baby's parents stood proudly, just gazing adoringly at the child that slumbered, oblivious to the attention.

Suddenly, they heard a loud bang, followed by muffled laughter. Then, complete silence. Seconds ticked by with only the sound being Harry Potter's soft breathing. Then, a soft creak, barely audible except for the heavy silence, could be heard.

Lily Potter moved her worried green eyes moved away from the child to gaze at the man who stood on the other side of the crib. James Potter already had his wand out and ready.

"James…he's here. But how? Peter…" her voice trailed off.

James shook his head. "I don't know. Just stay up here with Harry, Lily. Take care of him."

Lily could only nod before James moved quietly to the door.

"James…"

"Yes?"

"Just…be careful." Lily's eyes filled with tears as her husband nodded once, briefly smiling before he left her for the last time.

* * *

"Wake up Harry!"

"G'way," came Harry's muffled reply.

The loud banging noise continued. "Harry! It's time for presents. You've got to get up. Now!"

It was the tone of finality that eventually convinced Harry to get out of bed. Grabbing a random robe from the chair next to his bed and grumbling under his breath, Harry stumbled to his bedroom door and wrenched it open. Bright hazel eyes looked up at him.

"Beth. Please, it's only…" Harry glanced at his wrist before he realized that his watch was still on his desk. After a moment's rummage, he put his watch on before finally peering blearily at the face.

"Beth, it's ten to six!"

Beth Potter, just turned five, pouted at her half-brother. "But it's Christmas. C'mon Harry, I _want_ to open my presents." Beth pouted and stared up at Harry with her big brown eyes, an action that she knew guaranteed her any request she made.

Harry looked at her for a second, then shut his own eyes and turned his head up to the ceiling. _Merlin, why does she _do_ that?_

Harry opened his eyes and looked down at his little sister, defeat evident on his face.

"Fine, fine, let's go open your presents. How about Dad and Anne?"

"Well…" Beth didn't answer and instead looked down at the floor.

"Hang on, have you gone to call them?" asked Harry, feeling slightly worried.

The wavy mane of black hair nodded.

"Are they awake?"

"I think so," replied the quiet voice.

Harry looked at her, narrowing his eyes as he caught her hesitation.

"Hang on... Beth, _please_ tell me they came back last night," said Harry, anger starting to seep into his voice.

"Well, I think they did. But they left a note. I…I…well, I forgot about it," said Beth as she held out the folded bit of parchment.

Harry took the bit of parchment with a sense of foreboding. _Please, not three years in a row_, he thought to himself as he unfolded the note.

_Harry and Beth,_

_Merry Christmas! Hopefully you're both up in time for the breakfast the house-elves made, if not, not to worry. Go ahead and open your presents; we won't be back in time to open them with you – we're terribly sorry, the department is in absolute chaos. But we will be back for the dinner this evening, so we'll see you then. _

_Mum and Dad._

_Yeah, sure, _thought Harry bitterly. _Three years in a row…I should have known._

Harry closed his eyes for a moment; all his earlier cheer evaporating the moment he had finished the note. When he opened them, he looked down at Beth and cracked a reassuring but undoubtedly sad smile.

"Don't worry Beth; let's just go open the presents, OK?'

"Harry…will they come back?" There was a catch in Beth's voice at the last word, and Harry's heart broke when he heard it, but he needed to keep up the mock-cheer, just for his little sister's sake.

"Of course." This time, his smile lost its sadness. "Come on," he said, picking her up and walking down the long corridor. Although Harry was only ten years old, he was well-built, and Beth took after his step-mother, who was tiny.

Beth's face immediately brightened up as she clung to her big brother; her big brother who was always there for her, no matter what.

* * *

It was late on Christmas night when James and Anne Potter stepped out of the fire-place and into the kitchen. Both wore the scarlet robes that identified them as Aurors.

James was the first to notice that the house was in complete darkness, with the exception of the flickering flames in the fireplace. He wasn't one of the top Aurors in the Ministry for nothing, and he immediately had his wand out; Anne was only a split second behind him; a quickly muttered _lumos_ proceeded, and the kitchen was softly illuminated.

"James…" started Anne but trailing off as she noticed the remains of Christmas dinner on the table. Three settings were untouched, while a fourth held an almost full serving of turkey and roast potato.

James looked at the table, the beginnings of a very strong wave of guilt washing over him. "We missed Christmas," he said softly.

Anne looked sadly at his back; his usually proud shoulders and back were rounded and hunched and when she stepped in front of him to face him, he had an expression of complete defeat.

Anne had not seen James look so miserable since Lily Potter's death. Not knowing quite what to do, she swept him into a hug. They stood there quietly for a few moments before Anne finally spoke.

"James, where do you think they are?" she asked.

James looked up from the embrace. He frowned. "Maybe they went straight to sleep? Come on, let's have a look."

Once again in full control of his emotions, he lead her up to Harry's room, then to Beth's. However, the search proved to be in vain. As the minutes passed, and James and Anne grew even more frantic, they started to run from room to room, calling out the children's names.

But no one answered.

James finally reached the library; it was completely silent. He stepped in, but no one was there. Exhausted, he sank into a large, red armchair, stretching his feet out to the warm, crackling fire and closed his eyes.

_Wait…why was the fireplace lit in the library? It's never lit… unless someone was using it, and Anne's the only person in this house who ever does._

James sat up, adrenaline flooding through his body, accompanied by another, unidentified feeling. He shook it off as he approached the fireplace, looking it over once before calling for his wife.

"Did you find them?" were Anne's first words as she entered the library and looked around for the children.

"No, but someone lit the fireplace. It wasn't you, was it?"

Anne just shook her head in the negative, before a small piece of folded parchment on the table next to the fireplace caught her eye. Quickly, she picked it up, unfolding it with suddenly trembling hands. James watched; that funny feeling was back again, but as before, he ignored it, instead concentrating on his wife. Anne scanned the slip of parchment quickly, before, rather suddenly and inexplicably, dissolving into tears.

Alarmed, James clasped her into a one-armed hug, grabbing the parchment from her. She was beyond speaking now, so there was no point in asking her any questions when he could just as easily read it for himself.

_Dear Dad and Anne,_

_It's the third year in a row. Beth was so disappointed, even though she tried not to show it. How could you? You've hurt both of us, Beth especially: you promise things, but you never, ever keep them. It's always work, work, work. Well, you'll have plenty of time to work now. I've taken Beth with me. Don't worry, Dad, I know how to take care of both of us. And she won't ever be disappointed again, you have my word. _

_Harry._

James dropped the letter, completely speechless.

* * *

It was rather late when Sirius Black felt the summons. Irritated, he swore under his breath, before he set down the rather tempting last few swallows of Firewhiskey on an elegant side-table in order to grab his cloak and mask.

Bending down the side of the fireplace, he rapped a complicated pattern on what seemed to be, to the naked eye, a blank patch of wall, albeit a rather nice wooden one. Completing the tapping, he moved back slightly as a small door popped open, revealing a small space in the wall.

Sirius smiled slightly at the simplicity of the hiding place before reaching in to remove a heavy black cloak and a plain white mask. After pressing the door back into the wall, where it blended in seamlessly, Sirius stood up and threw the cloak around his shoulders. He fastened it with an intricate silver clasp and pulled on the white mask.

Having dressed for the occasion, he walked over to a large mirror on the other side of the room, checking that his mask was set on straight before pulling the hood of the cloak over his head. He was immediately unrecognizable.

He was just about to apparate out, but then a flash of amber caught his eye. Chuckling softly, he strode over to the crystal tumbler that sat next to the fireplace, catching the flickering of the flames, and downed its contents.

Turning away from the fireplace, he shut his eyes, concentrating. After all, it wouldn't do to turn up at the meeting missing a limb or two, would it? However, just as he felt the squeezing sensation on his body, the flames in his fireplace glowed green, before spitting out a bundle. The bundle latched itself to Sirius' waist as it flew out of the flames, but Sirius couldn't do anything about it. It was all he could do to stop himself from getting splinched.

The next moment, he had arrived at the meeting, only to fall over as the weight of the bundle destabilised him. Quick as a flash, Sirius had pushed the bundle away, and pulled out his wand; his actions were copied by the other cloaked and masked people who surrounded him.

The bundle was motionless.

Cautiously, Sirius stepped forward, prodding at the lumpy bundle with a toe. Suddenly, the bundle rolled over and Sirius quickly stepped back, still clutching his wand.

"Padfoot?" came the tentative voice from the bundle.

_That voice sounded familiar, but who was it? It sounded rather like-_

A little head appeared from underneath what appeared to be a very fine, but extremely oversized cloak. The head possessed an unruly mess of black hair and bright green eyes. Sirius' mouth fell open.

"_Harry_?" was Sirius' incredulous reply.

* * *

Well, there it was: The first chapter of my first fic.

Hopefully my readers will spare a minute or two to review, and at the same time give me any pointers if I went wrong anywhere.

Thanks for reading; I'll try to get the next chapter up without too much delay :o)


	2. Chapter 2 A New Home

**A Darker Destiny**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

* * *

**Note:**This was written in response to a challenge by Brilliance of the Moon.

* * *

**Chapter 2 **A New Home 

Harry wasn't exactly quite sure what to think. He understood that he must have grabbed on to Sirius just as his godfather had apparated away from Grimmauld Place, but the question was, where to?

In order to find out, though, he needed to untangle himself from his father's cloak. _His father's cloak_. Harry mentally winced as he recognized exactly which cloak he had taken along. He had been in such a hurry to leave that he'd accidentally grabbed a formal cloak, complete with intricate embroidery and interwoven gold thread, instead of one of the more durable, everyday cloaks.

His musings were interrupted when he felt a slight prod on his left arm and instinctively rolled away from it, pushing Beth away from the perceived danger.

_Right, I'd better say something before Padfoot decides to hex us into next week_, he thought to himself.

Out aloud, Harry said, "Padfoot?"

No one replied, so Harry hurriedly untangled himself from the cloak, although he kept Beth well hidden behind him. The first person he saw wore a mask and a heavy cloak, but when Harry looked into his eyes, he recognized those of his godfather. But who were the others? And why were they all dressed like that?

However, Harry's silent observation of the room was interrupted when Sirius blurted out, "_Harry_?" in a rather unbelieving tone, he thought to himself.

"Hi Padfoot," replied Harry sweetly.

"Harry," repeated Sirius. "How...you?" Sirius stuttered for a moment, before coming to a decision.

"_Merlin's beard_, you can't be here. Where are your parents?" Sirius finally managed to force out.

But before Harry could reply, one of the other people, who, like his godfather, was cloaked and masked, stepped forward to Sirius.

"Cornix, who is this child? You know very well that these meetings require the utmost secrecy. We can't have just _anyone_ dropping in like that."

Sirius swung around to face the other masked and cloaked form, who, from the high pitch of their voice, Harry identified as a woman.

"Do you think I _meant _to bring him with me? He just popped out of my fireplace and grabbed on to my waist at the exact same moment that I apparated here," Sirius growled fiercely.

"That still doesn't answer my question Cornix," retorted the woman swiftly, with a slightly threatening undertone to her voice.

"Yes, Cornix. Who is this child that you have brought to a most secret meeting?" said a silky voice from behind the group. At the sound of the voice, Sirius, along with all the others stiffened, before quickly turning and respectfully dropping to a knee.

A man stepped out from the shadows, where he had been standing and observing his followers' behaviour before their meeting. He appeared to be slightly older than Sirius; tall and also with black hair, and the way he glided across the floor was predatory. That The fact that he had a large snake resting across his shoulders probably enhanced that image; the tail-end of its body coiled around the man's left arm, while the head was raised and appeared to be whispering into the man's right ear.

The man chuckled.

"Well Cornix? Aren't you going to answer my question?" the man asked.

Sirius bowed his head and said, "The son of a friend. I had no warning of the boy's visit. He just…appeared."

"I see," said the man. Then, he turned to Harry. "And who is the other child?"

At that, Sirius was confused. _Other child?_

He turned and followed the man as he walked over to where Harry sat, still surrounded by the ornate cloak.

"Why don't you let the other one out for a breath of air, child?" said the man kindly.

There was a moment's hesitation before Harry shifted slightly, and another, smaller head appeared from behind him. Sirius bit back a gasp of surprise. _That must be Beth_, he thought to himself.

"My Lord," said Sirius hesitantly, "It would probably be best if I returned these children to their home."

However, the man didn't reply, instead continuing to look at Harry and Beth; right into Harry's eyes. He frowned for a second, then, without any warning, gave a slight wave of his hand; the cloak flew into the air, folded itself neatly and landed on the floor next to them.

Now that the two children were no longer concealed under the voluminous layers of silk, everyone could see that they were wearing richly coloured dress robes in fine fabrics and the girl wore an ornate bracelet on her left hand. They were quite obviously from a wealthy wizarding family. It was also at that moment that Sirius noticed the rucksack that lay on the floor next to Harry's right foot.

However, before he could ask about the bag, he was beaten to it by his Lord.

"What is in that bag child? If it wasn't Christmas, I'd say that you look like you were running away," said the man, who seemed rather amused.

At the man's words, Harry turned a delicate milky colour. Sirius frowned.

"You weren't really…" he trailed off when he realised that he didn't want the answer.

Before anyone else could say anything, though, the man turned around to address the other people in the room.

"Our meeting for today is adjourned," was all he said, before he turned away from them again, clearly a sign of their dismissal. Sirius stood up from his kneeling position, wondering if he was meant to go or stay, but the man shook his head at Sirius' questioning look, indicating that he stay behind.

When the last robed figure had left through a door that appeared on a previously blank wall, the man turned to back to Harry and Beth. Sirius stood by his side, frowning at the sudden revelation.

"Remove your mask, Cornix," said the man; Sirius hastily complied. Harry could see that Sirius looked slightly older than he remembered: his face didn't seem as smooth and carefree and there were creases at the corners of his eyes that weren't there before. Also, why did everyone here call him _Cornix_?

However, Harry's thoughts were interrupted when the man started to talk. "Explain yourself, Black," he said.

Sirius launched into the rather short description of how Harry (and Beth) had come flying out of the fireplace, clinging onto Sirius a split second before he was about to apparate to the meeting. He'd had no choice but to continue with the apparition; breaking his concentration at that moment would have resulted in all three of them being splinched.

The man merely looked thoughtful throughout Sirius' explanation, and his only acknowledgement when Sirius finished was a short nod. Then, he looked over to Harry.

"And why would a pair of obviously well-cared children like yourselves be Flooing unannounced into the house of a man you have not seen in years, and on Christmas day at that?"

Harry was rather embarrassed. He had overreacted somewhat, hadn't he?

Fighting the blush that spread on his cheeks, he replied, looking down at the floor as he spoke, "Dad and Anne didn't come back for dinner, and they weren't there this morning either, and they…well they aren't around all that much. I wouldn't have gone to you except that I remembered you always playing with me when I was little…I might have gone to Moony's except that it's full moon tomorrow…" Harry trailed off.

The man just raised an eyebrow, but Sirius exploded.

"I cannot believe him? I think he's been charmed to the bloody Ministry…and Anne, I can't believe she'd leave her _five-year old_ daughter alone except for her _ten-year old_ brother and a bunch of House-elves on Christmas Day!"

"Calm down Black," said the man wryly. "I suppose you're going to propose that you take them in, then?" he continued.

"What did you think I was going to do? If James is behaving at all the way he used to, and I think he is, they'd be better off with me," retorted Sirius.

"Ah. How did he behave?" asked the man.

"Well, granted, Lily had just died, and I sympathise…I know what it's like to lose someone you love; but it took him _months_ to even _look_ at Harry again, let alone take care of him; it was just the House-elves most of the time. Of course Moony and I dropped by to help, but there was only so much we could do, especially since I was, well, you know what happened…" Sirius' voice trailed off towards the end.

The man listened quietly, waiting for Sirius to finish speaking. Finally, he said, "I do not think it wise for you to take the children in. For a start Potter (and here the man spoke the name almost as if it were an expletive) would be instantly alerted to the whereabouts of his children. Like it or not, you are still, to the rest of the world, close friends and if these children were to live with you, it would not be long before they and you were exposed."

"What do suggest then, My Lord?" asked Sirius.

"Why, they can come live with me," said the man with a gentle smirk that reproached Sirius for not working it out earlier. "After all, I do believe that Violetta would be overjoyed to have siblings in some form or other, and there are plenty of things around that would keep the children occupied."

Sirius almost winced at that; the man noticed and immediately reassured him.

"Come now, Black, I will be personally responsible for them here; they will come to no harm. And if you do not wish them to learn the Dark Arts just yet, then they will not." It was said so simply and firmly that Sirius couldn't really think of any objections and so, hesitating only for a moment, he nodded.

As the two men turned their attention back to Harry and Beth, they noticed that Harry had been listening very intently to what they had said.

Realising that there was no point in beating about the bush since Harry was clearly old enough to understand exactly what had happened, Sirius bent down to where Harry sat and said, "Harry, would you like to live here, then? I'd take you to live with me, but as you heard -"

Sirius was cut of by Harry's softly but unhesitant answer of, "Yes, I'd love to," which he continued after a heartbeat, with, "And I think Beth would like it here, Violetta sounds nice." He looked at the man and asked, "Is Violetta your daughter?"

The man looked mildly surprised, but nodded his head. "Would you like to meet Violetta?" he asked Harry, who was cradling a half-asleep Beth in his arms. Harry nodded earnestly.

"Well, come on then," said the man, and he walked to a tapestry to the right of the wooden door. He waved his hand over it, and it disappeared, but before stepping into the passageway beyond, he turned back to see Sirius following; a now snoozing Beth in his arms and Harry walking determinedly by his side, the rucksack slung over his left shoulder.

As they reached the man, Harry looked up into his dark eyes and said, "What is your name, or should we call you 'Lord'?"

Another flicker of surprise passed over the man's face'; he was not usually an easy person to surprise. However, he paused just inside the arch that lay behind the tapestry and replied, "No, do not call me 'Lord'. You can call me…Tom…or Voldemort. Whichever one you prefer." He hesitated for a moment. "But I would rather you called me Tom," he continued before he turned back to the long corridor ahead, the previously inconspicuous snake on his shoulders once again whispering urgently into his ear.

* * *

I'm terribly sorry for taking so long to get this updated. I just underestimated how _difficult_ it is to write…and I found this chapter practically impossible: I had four different versions of this chapter, because I kept going off in different directions, but eventually I came back to this version (#2). 

Anyway, thanks for reading, and do review :o) Also, if you can give me some tips on where I've gone wrong, that would be gratefully appreciated; I tried to finish this in a bit ofa rush so some details might be rather off.


	3. Chapter 3 Violetta

**A Darker Destiny

* * *

**

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

* * *

**Note: **This was written in response to a challenge by Brilliance of the Moon.

* * *

**Chapter 3 **Violetta 

Two months had passed, but still there was not a clue as to the whereabouts of the Potter children. After finding the letter on that dreadful Christmas night, James had had to carry an almost hysterical Anne to bed; a large dose of Dreamless Sleep being the only thing that kept her there.

James himself immediately reported the incident to the Ministry, Auror Division, carefully leaving out the contents of Harry's note and merely saying that his children were missing and that he believed they had run away, presumably by Floo.

After the twenty minute fire-call, James sat down at the desk in his study and wrote out letters to all his friends, asking for any help or information they could provide. Fortunately, the Potters had a well-maintained owlery, with a dozen and a half owls ready to go at a moment's notice.

However, there was one friend of whose help he could not be quite certain of. His former best friend and Harry's godfather: Sirius. James sat at his desk, eyes closed, debating with himself for a good quarter of an hour before coming to his decision.

_Damn my pride; this is for my children, who knows where they are? _

It took James the rest of the night to write the letter.

The next few weeks were sheer hell for James and Anne. Although the group of Aurors who were put on the case meticulously cast locating charm after locating charm, there was not even a whisper of the children's whereabouts. The fact that James' letter to Sirius had been returned unopened only made it worse.

Once the second month had passed, the number of Aurors on the case was halved, and even the friends who volunteered to aid in the search were forced to excuse themselves due to their own commitments.

James was at his wits end and Anne, once she recovered from her initial shock, remained his only true support. However, no matter how slowly the weeks, and then the months passed, the Potters still did not find their children. They could only keep looking, and pray that Harry and Beth were safe.

* * *

Violetta Gaunt groaned and rolled over. She did _not_ want to get up. _Blast those House-elves, _must_ they be so efficient? _she thought to herself as she burrowed further under her duvet in order to shield her eyes from the faint spring sunshine that streamed in through the large windows. 

Eventually, she gave up the battle and gingerly poked a toe out from under the thick coverings, as if to test the air. Deciding that the early morning chill wouldn't kill her, she swung her legs out from under the duvet to land onto her perfectly positioned slippers.

_Oh well, I'll concede that point; House-elves are to be treasured_.

As she made her across the room, she snatched up a thick, fluffy robe, which she belted firmly. Passing the mirror above the dark mahogany chest of drawers, she ignored it's, "You're looking rather pale, dear, perhaps a good round of Quidditch would be advisable?" and instead bent over a wicker basket on the floor.

"Good morning, Fritz, how are you doing today?"

The dark grey cat that slept in the basket made no reply, but when she started to rub its belly, it emitted a low, throaty rumble as a sign of its contentment.

Violetta laughed softly before going to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

* * *

Harry looked at Beth over his mug of tea. The two children were sitting in a small but airy room located just to the left of the kitchens, where they usually ate breakfast. Although it had taken both of them a few months to adjust to their new home, they now felt comfortable and not as if they were imposing on Tom. 

Tom. It had been rather awkward at first, especially as it turned out that Harry was not the only one to eavesdrop on the grown-ups' conversations. Beth had screamed blue murder on Boxing Day morning when Harry first told her that they were living in the home of the infamous Lord Voldemort. It took a combination of Harry, Sirius and a girl who appeared out of a supposedly solid wall to calm Beth down.

Funnily enough, it was the strange girl who seemed to have had the most calming effect on Beth. She was tall and slender, with long, dark hair framing a face that held the most trusting of chocolate-brown eyes. Or perhaps the grey cat that she cradled in her arms was what finally stopped Beth's frantic thrashing.

Harry chuckled, remembering how the cat had leapt from the girl's arms and rubbed itself affectionately against Beth's leg. She immediately calmed down enough to respond to the cat's affections, running her little hand along the length of its' back and receiving a loud, contented purr in return. The other three just looked on, smiling, though Harry's face sadly seemed older than his years.

After the cat fell asleep on her lap, Beth had looked up at Harry and said simply, "I trust you, Harry," before turning back to the cat. Sirius sighed, relieved, and quietly left the room.

Then, Beth turned to the strange girl questioningly. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Violetta," said the girl. "This is my home and my father told me that from now on, I have a younger brother and sister," continued the girl, smiling.

Beth frowned slightly, rubbing her still damp eyes with one hand before asking, "Are _Harry and I_ your younger brother and sister?"

Violetta grinned before nodding slightly. Beth's eyes widened a bit before she threw herself at Violetta, dislodging the grey cat, which leapt away with a hiss. Harry just watched everything, the corners of his mouth curling up very slightly.

"I've always wanted a sister," said Beth, her arms still wrapped around Violetta's neck. "Harry's the best brother you could ask for, but he never plays with my dolls; he only ever wants to go fly on his silly broom."

At that, Violetta raised an eyebrow. "Ah. Well, Beth, I may be your sister, but I rather enjoy flying too. Although," she quickly added when Beth's face fell, "I'd love to play with your dolls too."

Harry covered his amusement by teasing the cat.

The rest of the day passed peacefully, and before they knew it, New Year's had come and gone. Tom had thrown a rather lavish masquerade ball, to which he invited all his followers. It had been a beautiful event; Tom's followers still wore masks, but these were not the plain masks of their allegiance. Instead these masks were of silk or velvet, adorned with priceless gems and metals, charmed to glitter, shimmer or shine, and topped off with richly-coloured trimmings.

Later, after everyone had seen in the New Year with food, drink, dance and music, Sirius (or rather Cornix, as he was known to the others) took Beth and Harry up to their room. The two children were half asleep; tired out from the ball.

After tucking the two sleepy children into bed, Sirius moved to the door, saying, just before he left, "Tom and Violetta should be along at some point later to say goodnight."

When there was no reply, Sirius turned to leave, assuming that both children were asleep. However, just as he put his hand up to open the door, Harry spoke.

"Night, Padfoot." There was a slight pause. "It's like when I was little, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Sirius frowned, at first misunderstanding. "Don't worry Harry. Tom and Violetta will come up soon. They always do."

"I know, I know. What I meant is, it's nice to have you around. And I'm not worried. I know Tom and Violetta will come up. Especially Tom. Maybe not Violetta, I think she was…talking to that man in the blue feathered mask," said Harry with a small smile. "But Tom always keeps his word. He doesn't make extravagant promises, but what promises he does make, he always keeps."

At this point, Sirius walked over to Harry's bed once again, sitting down on the chair next to it. "Is that why you…?" Sirius trailed off, not exactly sure what to say next.

"Yeah," said Harry, a sad smile on his face. James…and Anne, for that matter, they always said they'd do things for us. I don't mean buying us presents or stuff like that; we probably got more of those than we should've, but it's things like missing Christmas. Or saying they'd stay home on a weekend but then disappearing five minutes into breakfast on Saturday. I…I can't quite explain it, Padfoot." The smile faded and Harry looked away from Sirius.

"But Tom, Tom has an army to run (don't look at me like that Sirius, I _can_ read _and_ my Dad's an Auror) but he still spends loads of time with Violetta. And he taught Beth how to cast _Lumos_ and me how to cast a Summoning Spell. I've been here less than a week and it already feels like home."

Harry looked back at Sirius. "I hope you don't think I'm ungrateful or anything, I mean, we always had plenty of toys and food and _things_, but…but we didn't have _them_. At least I got a bit more than Beth; she's only five, but she's only had two Christmases with Dad and Anne, I mean, she can barely remember the first two! She probably can't remember opening presents with her parents or you, even. I remember you, you always used to come round, but then you stopped coming." By then, Harry was almost in tears.

Sirius moved to sit on Harry's bed and pulled his godson into a tight embrace. "Don't _ever_ think you're betraying James and Anne. They didn't spend enough time with you two to merit that."

Harry nodded into Sirius' chest.

After a while, Harry pulled back; his eyes were slightly damp, but his smile brightened up his face instantly.

"Don't you worry anymore, Harry. I know Tom, and when he makes a promise, he keeps it. He promised to care for you and give you a home, so he will."

"When did he say that?" asked Harry.

"Today, just before the ball," said Sirius.

"Oh," was Harry's simple reply as he fidgeted with the duvet.

"Come on, it's time for you to sleep. I can see you're tired," said Sirius, getting up and pulling the duvet right up to Harry's chin. He stood there watching Harry as the boy drifted off to sleep.

It was much later before Sirius left. After the door shut, a tall figure emerged from the shadows in the corner of the bedroom.

Tom walked over to Beth's, then Harry's bed, wishing both of them goodnight. The children murmured sleepily and shifted. Tom turned to the door, and as he left, he whispered, more to himself than to anyone else, "Yes, I did make a promise and rest assured, I _will_ keep it. You will _never_ feel the need to run away again."

The door closed with a quiet 'click'.

Harry's thoughts were brought back to the present when Violetta bounced into the room where Harry and Beth were eating breakfast.

"Morning all," chirped Violetta, swiping a buttery croissant from Harry's plate.

"Hey!" cried Harry. "Get your own, thief."

"Ooh, someone got out on the wrong side of bed this morning, didn't they?" mocked Violetta.

"Well, why on earth are you so…so bouncy?" retorted Harry.

Violetta put her left hand on her hip and chewed thoughtfully on the croissant for a moment. "First of all, Harry," she said, after swallowing the rather large bite, "I am not 'bouncy'. I just got my beauty sleep."

Harry rolled his eyes, while Beth watched her squabbling siblings as she ate a highly-sugared bowl of cereal.

"And secondly, we're going to Diagon Alley today!" proclaimed Violetta.

Beth brightened up immediately, but Harry just looked a bit pensive.

Violetta frowned at the mixed reactions. "What's the matter Harry?" she asked.

"Don't you think it'll be strange if two missing children suddenly pop up in the middle of Diagon Alley? And who's going to take us? Tom?"

Violetta smirked triumphantly. "True, true; valid points, all of them, but let me reassure you: you two are going in _disguise_ and yes, actually, Father _will_ be taking us; he'll just be in disguise too."

"Oh," said the two.

"Oh indeed. I need some new robes, and my Potions store is a bit low on lacewing flies. You'll probably want to get an ice-cream or something and Harry can look at broomsticks with me too."

Harry immediately brightened up at the thought of Quidditch.

* * *

Later that afternoon, a tall girl with mousy-coloured hair, holding on to the hands of two young boys, strolled into Diagon Alley via the archway that lead from the Leaky Cauldron. A middle-aged man with matching mousy hair and square, steel-rimmed glasses followed. 

"Why do I have to be a _boy_?" hissed the shorter of the two boys to the other angrily. "Why couldn't _you_ have been a girl?"

The other boy looked across the girl in between them and said dismissively, "Ugh, how could you expect me to dress up as a _girl_? Honestly, Be-".

He was cut off by the girl, who stopped walking and pulled the two squabbling children around to face her, frowning.

"Stop it, both of you. Father will take you straight back if you continue to behave like this. I'm quite capable of getting the things I need without being escorted, so unless you want to miss a day out, _behave_."

The man caught up with them and smirked down at the boys. "Annoying your sister already, boys?" he asked mischievously.

"No," chorused the two immediately.

"Glad to hear that," said the man, who strode on ahead, but then paused and turned around. "I'll meet you at Fortescue's in an hour. Will that be enough time for you?"

"Plenty, father," said the girl.

"Excellent. I'll see you then."

The man walked on, disappearing into a bookshop a bit further up. Turning to the still sulking boys by her side, the girl smiled brightly.

"Where to first, boys?"

* * *

Gosh, that was a while between updates. I do have an excuse though: my internet connection didn't work for three days, and then I had an interview. 

But anyway, how was this chapter? It's sort of a bit of everything because I wrote several chunks of it with lots of time in between each chunks, but the next chapter will be a bit more organised and the plot will move on :o)

Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4 Grief and Lies

**A Darker Destiny**

**

* * *

Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

* * *

**Note:** This was written in response to a challenge by Brilliance of the Moon.

* * *

**Chapter 4** Grief and Lies 

"- I would advise you to buy more Nimbus shares. The rumours of a new model are spot-on: it's going to be the fastest and not to mention, the most manoeuvrable broomstick of its generation. You can see there, and there, that the share prices are going up accordingly," said the black-robed wizard, who stood at Sirius' shoulder, indicating to a column of endless, tiny numbers. Sirius squinted, following his accountant's index finger as it travelled down the parchment.

The accountant highlighted two rows of numbers with a flick of his wand and was just about to reach over for another roll of parchment on which there were even more figures and projections, when Sirius interrupted him.

"Alright, alright, just do whatever you have to," he said impatiently, running a hand through his hair in annoyance.

The fastidious wizard looked at Sirius in surprise; usually the head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black couldn't contain himself when it came to discussing his Quidditch-related investments. However, the accountant dealt with Sirius often enough to be able to tell when his employer wasn't in the mood to discuss the family finances, so he wrapped up the meeting five minutes later.

As soon as the man left the house, Sirius stood up from where he sat behind the imposing desk he'd inherited from his father and strode out of the study. Pausing at a tapestry in the corridor, he waved his right hand across it, causing the dark silk to roll up neatly, revealing a row of expensive cloaks. Without hesitation, Sirius reached out and grabbed one; as he turned away and swung the cloak over his shoulders, the tapestry unrolled itself and returned to its previous state.

Sirius checked his appearance in a gilded mirror opposite the tapestry, then, with a soft popping sound, apparated out of 12 Grimmauld Place.

He reappeared on the side of a mountain, overlooking a lake that stretched out to the horizon in the distance; it reflected the clouds above him that swirled ominously, grey and heavy. After he gazed at the lake for a short moment, Sirius returned his attention to the narrow dirt path that he stood on. To his left was a steep slope made of thorny bushes and to his right was a sheer drop, all the way down to the shore of the lake.

Wrapping the cloak tightly around himself, for it was cold, Sirius walked on until he came upon a clearing where the path widened significantly. Turning to a large black rock immediately to his left, Sirius waved his right hand twice.

Suddenly, the small clearing opened up into a large field. Low, shady trees were scattered here and there and two wild ponies grazed peacefully, unaffected by the howling wind.

Sirius made his way over to an ancient-looking oak. Beneath the tree was a simple marble slab embedded in the ground. He sank to his knees in front of the marble slab, silently reading the engraving:

_Helena Artemis Black_

_25 July 1961 – 8 July 1982_

_A loving_

_Daughter and Wife;_

_She will always be remembered and missed._

_oOo_

_Leo Alphard Black_

_The son who was never born;_

_Toujours pur,_

_Because you will always be pure_

_And never tainted by this world. _

Sirius knelt there, heedless of the impending storm and sobbing silently as he remembered happier times.

* * *

To her adopted brother and sister, Violetta was all sweetness and fun. She spent time flying with Harry and transfiguring bits of thread into pretty dresses and shoes that Beth dressed her dolls in. Her father occasionally had to deal with some last lingering remnants of her teenage years – unprovoked mood-swings and short bouts of sulking, but most of the time, Violetta behaved beautifully, like the lady she had been brought up as. 

However, when Violetta wore her mask, an entirely different person came forth. This terrifying character was what the newly discovered spy among her father's followers came face-to-face with in a dark, damp dungeon that lay hidden in the bowels of the fort.

He could not see her face; it was encased in a dark mask. Strange that something so beautiful could invoke so much fear. The spy knew exactly who stood before him, wand drawn and observing him with dark, glittering eyes.

They called her Lady Darkness. There were many reasons for this; the most obvious was that she wore clothes so dark she seemed to blend into the shadows. This included her mask. Carved from the finest ebony, it had had so many protection charms cast on it that it practically glowed.

Looking up at her now, the spy recognized the intricate patterns as runes intertwined with serpents. However, he had only a moment to process this thought before the Lady cast her first spell.

"_Accio_ Spy's fingernails", she whispered so softly, that he almost missed it.

That is, until all ten of his fingernails tore themselves out of his hands. Screaming in agony, he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to hug both hands to his chest, blood running down and soaking into his clothes.

The Lady waited for him to stop screaming before she spoke.

"You resisted our…how shall I put this? Our more _civilised_ interrogation methods," she said, taking in the man's shaking body as he clutched at his injured hands, his gleaming white teeth bared as he endured the pain. "A pity you're so allergic to Veritaserum, but as we don't want you dead, this'll just have to do."

He looked up and saw his nails lying in a semi-circle in front of her. _The second reason for her name_, thought the spy hazily. _She can turn simple, school-level light charms into the darkest of torture spells_.

"Never," he gasped out.

The Lady shifted to rest on her left leg and cocked her head to one side. He knew that underneath the mask would be a cruel smirk.

"I will ask again," she said, evenly. "Or perhaps you'd like me to call a friend of mine? You've heard of her, I'm sure. And unlike most of the rubbish the Ministry writes about us, she really _does_ specialise in the Cruciatus Curse."

The spy's blood ran cold. He knew exactly who the Lady was talking about: Bellatrix Lestrange, who, while perhaps had never openly declared her support for Lord Voldemort, had been spotted at several Death Eater raids. She always escaped, leaving behind a trail of either dead or insane victims; they had all been held under the excruciatingly painful Unforgivable.

His resolve crumbled at that moment and he spent the next hour and a half spilling all his secrets to the Lady. Once she was satisfied with him, she stood up from the stool that she had conjured earlier.

"Thank you. Your information is extremely valuable. However, I'm afraid that I have to apologize in advance for what I'm about to do."

Without further ado, she raised her wand for the second time.

"_Obliviate_."

* * *

After stunning him and then casting some healing charms on the spy's hands, she stepped out of the cell. Another woman, this time dressed in dark blue robes and holding a bagful of healing potions, waited outside. 

"So?" asked the woman.

"You have another patient. And by the way, we ought to send a thank you owl to the Ministry; they make my job ridiculously easy."

Bellatrix Lestrange frowned for a moment before a mischievous grin appeared on her pale face.

"You didn't use the 'I'll set Bellatrix Lestrange and a string of _crucio_s on you' ploy _again_, did you? Trust me, they'll cotton on to it soon if you're not careful."

"Oh come on Bella. Where's your sense of fun? You should've seen the man; he practically wet himself the _second_ I mentioned you."

"Humph." Bella pushed past Violetta into the small cell and checked the spy briefly before levitating him behind her as she stepped out.

"Honestly, did you have to _summon_ his _finger-nails_?"

Violetta shrugged before she swept out of the dungeons, Bellatrix following at a more sedate pace.

* * *

The next evening, Lord Voldemort opened a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ as he sipped a glass of wine. It had been a long day, and he was looking forward to a nice, relaxing half-hour, perhaps even stretching it to forty-five minutes, before Cornix had to leave and the children would no longer have a distraction. 

Suddenly, he choked on the wine. His eyes widened as he took in the front-page of the newspaper. Granted, it was no more than a piece of propaganda controlled and produced by the Ministry, but even they would not lie about something this horrific. Or would they?

_GILDEROY LOCKHART MURDERED BY DEATH EATERS, _screamed the headline in bold, red letters. The picture underneath showed a figure that was barely recognisable as a human being, so shredded was the body. The only feature that could vaguely be identified was a head of golden hair, now drenched in blood and the faint glitter of a white tooth that could be seen from the man's open, contorted mouth.

Skimming the report, Voldemort started to feel nauseous. _Honestly, how can they write things like this in a supposedly 'family' publication?_ he thought.

Finally reaching the end of the article, his heart skipped a beat and he nearly dropped the delicate crystal glass that was still clutched in his hand.

_The Aurors who were first on the scene recognised the methods of torture as those favoured by 'Lady Darkness', You-Know-Who's top operative. _

_"Light spells and dark spells intertwined and distorted, but mostly light spells – that's the Lady's signature alright," said one of the Aurors. He refused to be identified. _

_However, more terrifying is what the Ministry calls a 'concentrated blast' of the Cruciatus Curse, one of the three Unforgivables. This is not a favoured method of the Lady; if not never used by her, but instead Bellatrix Lestrange's speciality. _

_"We've detected high concentrations of the Cruciatus Curse in the area, the highest levels of which are located on the back of Mr Lockhart's head. In our business, we call that a 'concentrated blast'; the curse would've been aimed and then focused on a chosen spot, and in this unfortunate case, it was Mr Lockhart's head." This Auror also refused to be named. _

_Bellatrix Lestrange, unlike the Lady, has never openly declared her support for You-Know-Who. But if these two deadly witches are indeed working together, then we, law-abiding citizens will most certainly not be sleeping well at night. _

_See Page 4 for a detailed description of the Three Unforgivables. _

After reading the article, Voldemort realised that he was about to shatter the wine-glass. Gritting his teeth, he set it down on a side-table as gently as possible and turned his thoughts back to the article.

_Would they really sink as low as to kill one of their own? Granted, the spy had been fairly useless and hardly a threat, but _still_. I might use guerrilla tactics and other strategies that border on the immoral against the enemy, but I would never do that to my_ own _people._

_Or perhaps there is someone else out there, trying to oppose the Ministry too, only with more…violent methods. _

Frowning, Voldemort stood up and moved swiftly out of his study. Perhaps it was time for another meeting.

* * *

The meeting took place late that evening. Unlike the one that Harry interrupted, it was attended not only by the Inner Circle, but the majority of Voldemort's followers. 

The large hall was packed to the brim; and this was after it had been magically enlarged. A sea of white masks faced their Lord, with the Inner Circle at the front, nearest to him. Violetta, in her guise of Lady Darkness, stood by her father's side. Simple iron torches lit the hall with a low, flickering light, creating a rather intimidating atmosphere for the simple fact that you could never be completely sure who stood next to you.

"My loyal followers," said Voldemort in his deep, rich voice. "Please, sit," he continued, just as wooden, straight-backed chairs appeared behind everyone.

He paused for a moment before resuming his speech.

"I'm sure you have all read today's evening edition of the Daily Prophet." The crowd murmured in acknowledgement.

Voldemort raised a hand and the murmurs faded.

"However, despite what was reported, that murder was _not_ carried out by my hand or _any_ representative of mine. We have always focused on clearly defined military targets: Aurors, Hit-wizards and other offensive departments of the Ministry. Gilderoy Lockhart worked at St Mungo's, and therefore, according to our code and the oath you have sworn, is completely out-of-bounds."

Voldemort paused again as the murmuring increased as his worried army started to speculate. However, it was not necessary for him to intervene. His daughter did it for him.

"SILENCE!" There was an immediate hush.

She quickly looked to her father for permission to speak, and when he nodded she turned back to the crowd.

"It is true, I did torture the man for information as he was a spy." She smirked under her mask as the crowd gasped as one.

"But," she continued. "But, he wasn't tortured into insanity or death. I obliviated him, then sent him straight to Bella for healing. He was perfectly healthy when I returned him to the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron; I even gave him a memory of a rather excellent weekend relaxing in the country." At this point, she looked towards her father.

Voldemort nodded, and Violetta stepped back.

"My dear followers, it is time for another attack. The Ministry cannot be allowed to smear our good name like that. They are making us out to be monsters, something we are not. However, we will not sink to their level."

The crowd cheered. Voldemort inclined his head and the cheers died down.

"Tonight, we will attack the Auror Headquarters. Separate into your usual groups; your group leaders have been given orders and they are to be followed _precisely_ in order for the plan to work. We will have our revenge and show the Ministry that we do not murder innocents. We fight, with honour for what we believe in."

An explosion of cheers erupted. Then, Violetta fired off a loud bang from her wand: the signal was given. A series of 'pops' echoed throughout the hall as, as one, they all apparated to their meeting points.

Voldemort was left alone with his daughter. She turned to him, lowering her hood and removing her mask. "Father, why can't I -"

"No, Violetta. I will not change my mind. You are to remain here. _I_ will lead my troops in. There is no need to risk both of us."

"Yes Father," she said, albeit rather sulkily.

Noticing this, Voldemort swept her into a warm embrace before kissing her once on the top of her head.

"Take care of yourself, Father," she said, leaning her cheek into the soft material of his robes.

They remained in that position for a few moments, before Voldemort stepped back and gazed lovingly at his daughter.

"I will," was his simple reply.

Then, with a soft 'pop', he too was gone.

* * *

Ugh. I'm not too sure about that chapter, but the story has to go on. It is rather slow at the moment, but will pick up pace soon. I just thought I had to show Violetta's 'darker' side, and yet not have her completely inhuman and evil. 

Sigh. This writing thing is a lot harder than I thought. I really respect all those authors out there who's work I've read...how, how, how do you do it?

And, as always, thanks for reading this :o)


	5. Chapter 5 Life Taught Me to Die

**A Darker Destiny

* * *

**

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

* * *

**Note: **This was written in response to a challenge by Brilliance of the Moon.

* * *

**Chapter 5 **Life taught me to die 

Low flames teased the shadows of the room, casting flickering shadows onto the dark stone walls and floor. Violetta Gaunt stood where her father had left her, trying to calm herself and organise her thoughts. It would do no good to meet Harry and Beth in such an agitated state.

As she stood there, the walls began to shift. They moved slowly, hesitantly; as if acknowledging Violetta's presence and feeling reluctant to startle her. Eventually, Violetta noticed them and after a curt nod from her, the walls shimmered, before moving in a wave that left the chamber significantly smaller than before.

In a corner of the room, someone yelped, raising Violetta from her musings. Her wand flew into her left hand and all her muscles tensed, ready for any attack.

Suddenly, there was a rustle of cloth as the walls jerked forward again. A small shape was tipped forward; the invisibility cloak that it had been wearing slipping off.

Violetta let her wand hand drop to her side, but her narrowed eyes clearly implied extreme annoyance.

"Harry!" she half shouted. "What are you doing here? You _know_ that you're forbidden from coming to this part of the fortress."

Harry hung his head. "But I only wanted to know what Sirius and Tom were doing. It's not as if they were doing anything dangerous…but…"

Violetta almost rolled her eyes at her little brother fondness of the dramatics. "But _what_, Harry?"

"Nothing, nothing. So, what are they up to then?" he asked, just a bit too eagerly.

The gears in Violetta's mind started to whir, processing the situation and Harry's sudden eager innocence.

Harry quickly noticed that, and so interrupted her thoughts. Looking up at Violetta through dark lashes, Harry widened his green eyes, and asked in a trembling voice, "Will Tom and Sirius be alright, Violetta?"

Although Violetta knew exactly what Harry was doing; namely avoiding her earlier question, she was asking herself exactly the same question. So, instead of scolding him or at the very least questioning him again, she looked down into his eyes and said simply, "I hope so Harry. I hope so."

* * *

Lord Voldemort whirled around, casting a shield to deflect the stunner, following up swiftly with a cutting hex. The Auror who had attacked him tried to duck, but was not quick enough, the hex slicing through the tendons on his wand hand and causing him to drop his wand. Voldemort cast another stunner at the bleeding Auror, catching the man neatly in the middle of his forehead. 

Spinning again, he erected another shield, but noticed at the last minute that the hex being flung at him would most certainly _not_ be found in the Auror handbook. And as a result, the shield flickered, before disappearing entirely.

Swallowing a vicious curse, Voldemort rolled out of the way, but he wasn't quite quick enough. The pale green beam clipped him on his shoulder, sending a sharp jolt of pain down his arm and he nearly dropped his wand. Gritting his teeth, he held on to it and sent back an equally nasty hex.

Lord Voldemort rarely missed.

Still in a battle stance, Voldemort stepped over the prone body, firing off the occasional curse and conjuring shield after shield as he made his way to the where the fighting was at its fiercest.

It was inevitable that the stealthy attack on the Auror Headquarters would escalate into vicious violence. A clumsy scout had missed a detection charm, and he'd signalled the all-clear, causing two dozen or so of the backup to apparate straight into the charm, setting off alarms that rang shrilly throughout the building.

But now he had to concentrate on the battle. Despite his superior duelling abilities, even Merlin himself would be hard-pressed to hold off, let alone defeat two dozen experienced Aurors charging at you; wands drawn and hexes and curses flowing from their lips as easily as the air flowed around them.

Turning to face a tall Auror whose red robes had been shredded on her right side, Voldemort ducked to avoid a suspiciously green jet of light that had been aimed at his back. Relying on his almost superhuman reflexes, he then proceeded to absorb, deflect or otherwise simply dodge a thick flurry of curses that were hurled at him.

As he worked his way through the group of Aurors, he found himself drifting closer to some of his own; the dense wall of Aurors had thinned out considerably. Soon he was down to only one, very persistent Auror who had an annoying knack of ducking at _just_ the right moment.

Casting his attention to his surroundings, he knew that his army was winning, and by a large margin. Turning his mind back to the duel, Voldemort cast an innocuous pale blue streak of light at the Auror, followed by a lightning-fast Stunning Hex, just to the right of the blue jinx. As predicted, the Auror dodged the first hex; instead he stepped straight into the red hex and promptly fell unconscious.

Finally satisfied with the operation, Voldemort gave the sign for the all-clear. When they felt the signal, his army immediately activated their Portkeys and started to leave, in order of rank; from the lowest to the highest.

Surveying the mass of unconscious or dead Aurors, Voldemort was soon left with only the Inner Circle. They bowed their heads respectfully and were just about to leave when an acid yellow wave of light flashed out of the corner of his eye and hit him point-blank on the chest.

Voldemort fell to the bloody ground, gasping as he felt the energy being drained from his body. Quick hands reached out and caught him before he hit the rough stone and he vaguely heard someone shouting for Bellatrix.

Turning his head caused a bolt of pain to lance up his neck and into his skull so he had to settle for a very slight twist. However, it was enough to catch the black ropes springing from Cornix's wand and wrapping themselves tightly around the traitor, Macnair. A flash of white blonde hair informed him that Malfoy was preparing the Portkey.

_Perhaps I should get the man to camouflage his hair; there's no point in wearing a mask if your hair stands out in a glaringly obvious manner like that-_

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a tug under his navel, just before he was whisked away by the Portkey, neatly blacking out in the process.

* * *

The fortress was a blur of activity. Although the Aurors had suffered the worst casualties, Voldemort's army was not without its injured. Bellatrix Lestrange strode though the well-appointed hospital wing, ensuring that her team of Healers were working efficiently. 

She was on the second floor, personally tending to a particularly nasty burn when a Mediwitch rushed in, flustered and babbling about their Lord dying.

Bellatrix quickly passed the jar of balm to the Mediwitch, checked her wand, and without hesitation, activated the emergency Portkey that would transport her directly to Voldemort's side.

She arrived in his bed chambers, which, surprisingly, was extremely calm. Lucius Malfoy had actually had the sense to cast a basic diagnostic charm and was therefore able to brief her on their Lord's condition. Unfortunately, the initial diagnosis was dire.

Several of the Inner Circle stood ready and waiting to take orders from Bellatrix. They were soon dispatched to the hospital wing to fetch assistants and potions. Severus Snape, the Potions Master, was delegated the duty of obtaining several of the rarer potions that Bellatrix did not keep in her stores at the fortress. He left in a swirl of black robes, stopping briefly at the door to let Cornix in.

For a split second, Bellatrix pondered Cornix's identity, as he still wore the anonymous mask. However, she was quickly brought back to the situation when Cornix reported that the curse Macnair had used was incurable.

"Nonsense," said Bellatrix as she wove her wand in an intricate pattern over Voldemort's now balm-slathered chest. She stopped talking as a faint pink glow hovered above his skin, before turning a sickly green that disappeared when she flicked her wand sharply.

"What does that mean?" said Lucius curiously.

"It means that Bellatrix doesn't know what's wrong with our Lord," said Cornix shortly, before he pulled a scrap of parchment out of his robes.

Ignoring Bellatrix's muttered retort; she was now administering some of the potions that just arrived, while directing two assistants to cast a complicated charm, Lucius turned to look pointedly at Cornix.

Cornix cocked his head to the side and held out the parchment to Lucius. "This is probably something you'd know about more than me. Macnair told me, after some _gentle_ persuasion, that the spell he used was some modified ancient Dark Arts. Didn't want to give me the exact incantation, but, I think that's it there."

Lucius read the rather long incantation and looked up at Cornix.

"I thought he didn't tell you? This looks fairly complete to me…in fact-" Lucius broke off and strode out of the room.

Cornix shook his head at Lucius' rapidly retreating back. However, his amusement immediately evaporated when his gaze dropped onto Voldemort again. Walking up to Bellatrix, he quietly asked if Voldemort's condition had stabilised.

"Partially," replied Bellatrix after dropping a white pellet into a vial. Cornix watched as it dissolved rapidly in the clear liquid, turning it a murky brown. When Bella had tipped it down Voldemort's throat, she turned back to Cornix.

"He should regain consciousness in the next fifteen minutes or so, no longer than that. I suggest you inform Violetta and the…children of the situation, Cornix."

Cornix swallowed; his mouth suddenly very dry. He'd completely forgotten about Violetta, Harry and Beth. He nodded to Bellatrix before turning to the door and was just about to leave the room, when Bellatrix spoke again.

"Cornix…now is probably not the best time, but _who are you_? Why do you wear your mask even now, in the fortress?"

Startled and very tired, Cornix snapped his head around quickly. "That's none of your business, Bella," he replied sharply before sweeping out of the room.

_Bella? Not many people call me that…and he so reminds me of someone I know…I just can't remember who._

With that thought, Bella put the mysterious Cornix to the back of her mind and turned her full attention back to her Lord.

* * *

Back in her own bed chambers, Violetta was pacing. She'd managed to get Harry and Beth to bed a few hours ago, albeit with much coaxing, but she herself was wide awake with worry. As started to wring her hands and mutter under her breath, she heard a soft mewing. 

Violetta stopped and looked over just in time to see Fritz gracefully leap down from the edge of her bed and sidle up to her, mewing all the while. She reached down and gathered up the bundle of dark grey fur, immediately feeling comforted.

She'd vaguely heard the shouting and distant banging starting up not long after she'd left Harry and Beth and knew that the attack was in full swing. However, she also knew that during those times she was left back in the fortress, her father usually waited till the very end of everything before he came to see her, so there was no point in fretting at the moment.

That didn't stop her continuous worrying.

Buried in her thoughts, she didn't notice herself drifting over to the bed as she ran her hands through Fritz's short, soft fur. However, she did start when she felt something heavy on her foot.

Dropping Fritz, who yowled and disappeared in grey streak, Violetta had her wand out and a blasting curse on the tip of her tongue before she realised that it was only Nagini.

All of a sudden, the adrenaline rush disappeared, leaving her exhausted, and she slumped onto the bed, lying flat on her back with her dark hair spread out in a black halo. Nagini twined herself up Violetta's leg and slithered onto the duvet.

Violetta turned her head to face the snake that was now coiled up next to her. Nagini's tongue darted out, tickling her cheek and Violetta sighed; the sudden warm breath causing the snake the pull her head back.

"Sorry," said Violetta softly when she realised her error. Nagini stared back steadily at her and Violetta once again wished that she could speak to snakes, like her father.

"I get so worked up about father going off on his missions and operations, but he always comes back safely, doesn't her?" she continued. The snake lowered her head and flicked her tongue at Violetta's nose, causing her to smile slightly.

"I get the idea Nagini, I'll stop-"

The door burst open and Beth came running in, tears streaming down her face.

"Violetta!" cried Beth. "Siri-Sirius says that Tom is- Tom is- _dying_," she hiccupped, flinging herself into Violetta's suddenly unresponsive arms.

"_What_?"

It was at that moment when Sirius walked in, his mask still on and a rather statue-like Harry following behind.

"Violetta-" began Sirius before he was interrupted.

"Is that true?" asked Violetta, looking Sirius straight in the eye.

Sirius hesitated, and then bowed his head. He reached up and tugged the white mask off before looking back up at Violetta. "Yes," he said, his voice barely over that of a whisper.

Violetta bit her top lip as she processed the information. Beth was still crying into Violetta's shoulder, although much more quietly. Harry stood still behind Sirius, his face a stony mask.

"Take me to him," she finally said in an emotionless voice.

Sirius nodded his head, and stepped to the side to allow Violetta to leave the room. Then, he pushed Harry forward to follow them before he replaced his mask and made his way back to Voldemort's bed chamber.

The walk there seemed to take forever. Every step seemed to be harder than the one before and the corridors of the fortress stretched further and further. But eventually, they reached the room.

* * *

Bellatrix was casting a few more pain relieving charms on a now conscious, but very weak Voldemort when the door opened and Violetta stepped in with Beth in her arms. 

She gasped and started in and Bellatrix decided to leave the family alone.

Stepping out of the door, she noticed that Cornix stood outside, with Harry by his side. The tall man was attempting to coax the boy into the room, but Harry was tearfully refusing.

As the door shut with a loud click, Harry started, whipping around and running away from Cornix, who took two steps forward before he was held back by a deceptively delicate hand.

Cornix turned on Bellatrix, who'd held on to his shoulder despite his struggle.

"Lestrange," he said in an icy voice. "Take your hand off my shoulder _now_. Harry is upset because the man he thinks of as more of a father than his biological father is _dying_ and in this state, he might do something stupid. Now, I would ordinarily never hex a lady, but…"

Cornix's furious grey eyes bored into hers as the unspoken threat hung in the air, and at that moment, Bellatrix knew who he was.

"Cousin?" she said, stepping back and dropping her hand. Sirius either didn't hear her or simply chose to ignore her for he spun around quickly and left in the direction that Harry had been running.

* * *

"Harry!" shouted Sirius as he ran. Stopping at the end of yet another long corridor, he held out his wand and gasped out, "_Point me_ Harry." 

The wand remained still for a moment before spinning wildly for a few more turns, coming to a halt with the tip pointing to Sirius' left.

Without hesitation, Sirius sprinted down yet another corridor lined with flickering candlelight, leading him to a dark, heavy, wooden door. Casting a glance at his wand again, he lifted the latch and opened the door, which swung open towards him.

Instead of another dusty corridor, however, Sirius was met by the fresh air of a warm summer's evening. Squinting slightly, as the area in front of him was pitch black, he took a step forward, almost falling flat on his face when his foot took longer than expected to reach the ground.

Shaking his head at his foolishness he muttered, "_Lumos_," and was rewarded with a shining light on the tip of his wand. Holding his wand ahead of him, Sirius looked to his left and right. All he could see was seemingly never-ending darkness stretching in both directions. Immediately ahead of him was a limestone pillar, darkened with age.

Sighing, Sirius shouted Harry's name again, then listened carefully.

After a heartbeat, he was rewarded by a soft cough and the rustle of cloth.

Glad that he'd finally located Harry, Sirius decided to take the chance and appeal to his godson.

"Harry, I know you're here. You need to see Tom." Pausing, unsure what next to say, Sirius said the first thing that came to his head.

"Yes, I know the curse was fatal but that's no reason to shut yourself away. You'll never forgive yourself if you missed the chance to say goodbye."

There was no reply as Sirius stood in front of the wooden door, a gentle breeze stirring his hair. When he pulled the mask off he could feel the night air caress his cheek, and he smelt the faint scent of jasmine.

Suddenly, lights flared around him, drowning out the flickering _lumos_ on his wand and momentarily blinding Sirius. When he regained his sight again, he gaped. Whatever he'd expected, it certainly wasn't what he saw.

Beyond the ancient pillar was a large square of grass, bare except for a lone tree in the centre. On each side of the square were magnificent pillars, the sides facing the grass adorned with carvings of beautiful runes and magical creatures. The pillars curved in to meet each other, forming arches and every other pillar held up a bright torch, merrily burning.

Looking across the square, Sirius saw Harry step around from behind the tree; a jasmine tree, noted Sirius in the back of his mind.

The two just stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before Harry ran forward, flinging himself into Sirius' embrace and, for the first time since he'd heard about Tom's impending death, cried.

Sirius didn't say anything. Instead he just held Harry as the first rays of dawn broke through night's dark curtain.

* * *

Violetta and Beth had left by the time Sirius managed to carry Harry back to Voldemort's chambers. Bellatrix was nowhere to be seen. 

"Padfoot, are you sure you don't want to come in? Don't you want to say goodbye to Tom?" asked Harry when he realised that Sirius wouldn't be going in with him.

Sirius shook his head firmly and opened the door, gently pushing Harry in before he turned around and left, closing the door behind him.

Harry gasped when he saw the broken man on the huge bed, surrounded by pillows and blankets. As he stepped closer, he could see the faint sheen of sweat on Voldemort's pasty skin, and the cracks on his pale blue lips.

"Tom," said Harry, his voice barely a whisper.

Voldemort lifted his head slightly so that his dark eyes met Harry's.

"I'm so sorry, Harry," croaked Voldemort. He paused as he struggled to breathe. Harry, not wanting him to say anymore, choked back a sob and reached for the basin of water and the soft flannel. Gently, he dabbed at Voldemort's face, softly murmuring, "No, you have nothing to apologize for." This time, he could not hold back his grief and a tear trickled down his face. It balanced precariously on the tip of his nose before falling to the thick blankets.

Voldemort gazed up at Harry and, with a trembling hand, reached up to wipe the next tear as it trailed down Harry's cheek.

"I have to say sorry," continued Voldemort, ignoring the shake of Harry's head. "I promised to take care of you and Beth and now, I won't be around to do that."

"_No_," denied Harry. "We'll never forget the time we spent with you; it was probably the only time anyone bothered to find time to just be with us and make us feel special and _loved_, so you have _no reason at all_ to feel guilty. It wasn't your fault some stupid Auror decided to experiment with Dark Arts he knew nothing about." By the end of his speech, Harry cheeks were flushed and he was gripping Voldemort's hand tightly.

Voldemort's eyes were damp and he swallowed painfully. But before he could say anything, he felt Harry jump back in alarm.

"What is it?" whispered Voldemort.

Harry replied after a beat. "Oh, it's just Nagini." He'd seen her slithering around the fort and with Tom, although only from a distance. "I expect she's here to say…to say goodbye." The little boy's voice cracked at the end and he ducked his head in order to hide the fresh flow of tears.

"**_It's alright, child. The Master is going to a better place; he won't be in pain anymore_**," hissed Nagini loudly, not really expecting anyone to reply.

Harry jerked back in shock. "She…Tom, did she just talk to me?" he asked Voldemort. "**_Did you just talk to me_**?" he repeated, to Nagini, but instead of normal human speech, Voldemort heard the low hissing tones of Parseltongue.

"**_You can speak_**?" said Nagini and Voldemort at the same time, although Nagini's voice was considerably louder.

"Erm…is that special? I mean…understanding Nagini?" Harry asked warily. He didn't like the way Tom's breathing speeded up and how his pallid skin had acquired a heavier layer of sweat.

"**_You don't just understand me, child. You speak my language and that is extremely rare_**," hissed the snake. Voldemort just nodded in agreement, not taking his eyes off Harry. He appeared to be thinking very hard as he gazed upon the boy he thought of as a son.

"Harry, started Voldemort carefully. He was unsure of how to begin to explain. _And why does Harry not know what a Parselmouth is? He's a Pureblood; you'd think they'd teach their children- oh. Light family. Not to mention the fact that to teach Harry, James Potter would have to actually _talk_ to his son._

"Harry, I'm -" Voldemort was cut short by a violent bout of coughing. When he finally stopped, his breathing was even shallower than before and he could no longer hold himself up.

With a wave of horror, Voldemort realized that it was soon his time to die. He could sense Nagini slithering off the bed, most probably to summon help, and he knew that he did not have much more time left.

"Harry," he wheezed pitifully. "I'm so very sorry; I…cannot explain it…all to you…no one knows the whole story…but Harry, do…not…trust…Albus Dumbledore….I…it was my fault your…mother died…I…please…forgive me Harry…"

Harry had squeezed his eyes shut but they could no longer hold back the fast-flowing tears. Clasping Voldemort's hand to his chest, he shook his head vehemently.

"There's no need to forgive you. You…you weren't even there. It wasn't your fault in the slightest."

But although Voldemort nodded, Harry realised that it wasn't quite enough for the man. He _needed_ to hear forgiveness from Harry's mouth; else he would never be at peace. So Harry said the words. He spoke them softly, almost a whisper, but still full of meaning.

"I…forgive you, Tom."

His eyes were shining with tears and Voldemort knew that he meant it; if Harry ever needed to forgive him, he would do it in the blink of an eye. And Voldemort was glad, he finally felt that someone loved him, not just the way that Violetta loved him; he valued her love as much as Harry's, but hers' was one that had been conditioned over her entire life.

Harry's love and respect was one that he felt he'd earned. Knowing that, Voldemort knew he could leave, and in peace. So he nodded and grasped Harry's hand tightly. He saw Harry's green eyes widen, as if the boy knew what was coming next.

Voldemort wasn't worried for Harry.

Harry James Potter was a more than worthy heir to his legacy and Voldemort proved it by pulling up the last of his energy from his very soul, and pushing all his power, all his talents, all his _magic_ up the hand that grasped his so firmly.

There was a low humming as the transfer took place and they both glowed in iridescent rainbow colours; the very air flickering with magic. Harry grasped Voldemort's hand tighter and the power thrummed magnificently, swirling around them in an intricate waltz.

Abruptly, it all disappeared; Harry's hand slipped from Voldemort's suddenly slack grip.

And Tom Marvolo Riddle, known to the rest of the Wizarding World as Lord Voldemort, closed his eyes for the last time.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. It was rather long, wasn't it? Sorry if it went on a bit too much and rambled; the story just refused to stop. And if any of it seems disjointed and doesn't really flow, let me know because I wrote it all out of order – I actually wrote the last part before the middle part. 

The chapter title comes from the song 'Cannonball' by Damien Rice, whose album 'O', I was listening to when I wrote the last section of the chapter.

Finally, belated greetings for the New Year and hope everyone had a good start to 2007.

Thanks for reading :o)


	6. Chapter 6 What a Difference a Day Makes

**A Darker Destiny

* * *

**

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**

* * *

Note: **This was written in response to a challenge by Brilliance of the Moon.**

* * *

Chapter 6** What a Difference a Day Made 

"Shall I begin my report, Sir?"

"Yes, yes, continue."

"Very well." The man cleared his throat and composed himself.

"Our spy reports that Macnair managed to hit the Dark Lord point-blank in the chest with your curse. Unfortunately, Macnair was seized by the one they call Cornix and possibly tortured for information, _and_ we're not exactly certain just how much Macnair gave away. There has been no news regarding the Dark Lord's health, although Lucius Malfoy was spotted rifling through the Dark Lord's personal library with two Healers; perhaps he was looking for a cure?"

There was silence as the other man closed his eyes and appeared to be thinking hard. Finally, he opened his eyes and spoke.

"No, there is no cure, of that I am certain. Thank you for your report and do send my regards to our friend," he said, before dismissing the man with a nod.

A soft pop from the fireplace indicated that the man had left.

The other man sat at the desk in his office, still gazing intently at the fireplace. His eyes followed the movements of the fiery flames as he turned the situation over in his head.

_No, my curse was flawless. Tom Riddle is most definitely dead and the path is clear for me. But what to do next? _

* * *

_It was a fair night, but the calm weather was clearly no indicator for the terrible deed that he had to prevent. _

_He stood on a dusty lane; in the shadows of the high hedge that enclosed the house just outside the little village. The air was crisp, although not uncomfortably so, and the robes he wore were more than adequate to keep him warm. _

_A loyal soldier in his army had informed him of the fact that two of his top spies in the Ministry were compromised. The severely beaten man had blurted out his tale of woe in an unintelligible babble that had only been understood after five attempts with a Pensieve, before dying of his injuries despite Bellatrix's best efforts. _

_What was his name again? Oh yes: Peter Pettigrew. _

* * *

No! No, no, no, no. How dare he? He killed her! 

_"Show yourself, if you are not a coward," he snarled at the shadowy figure across the room. A sinister chuckle reverberated though the ominously quiet room. However, just as he was about to hurl a curse at his opponent, a loud wail broke through the air. _

_The two stared at the crying baby, temporarily distracted. However, he recovered quicker than the shadowy man and without hesitation, cried out, "_Avada Kedavra_!" _

_The jet of brilliant green light flashed across the room and for a moment, he thought that his opponent was finally defeated. _

_But it was not to be. With reflexes faster than he could have imagined, a wand flicked and the crying baby flew towards the light. _

_He froze. _

_Then the curse impacted._

_It was as if time had slowed. He saw the light strike the child on the centre of its forehead, and his heart dropped. But then, as if by a miracle, the bolt of energy was deflected, a vivid green beam that flew towards the ceiling and impacted, spraying bits of plaster and paint all over the room. _

_Time sped up again. The baby was on the floor; fortunately he had been heavily swathed in blankets, which cushioned the impact. The mysterious stranger growled savagely and raised his wand to utter another lethal curse. The stranger's face was still shrouded in shadow (and perhaps a charm or two) but he would never forget the stranger's voice, low and full of malice. _

_The stranger brought his wand down in a sharp swish and sent a bolt of black hurtling towards him, but he twisted out of the way at the last moment, allowing the curse to hit the cot, and threw a small, shiny object at the stranger. _

_"_Siberia_," he hissed, in the language of snakes as the object came into contact with his opponent, and the next moment, the stranger was gone._

_Suddenly he heard a staccato of pops from below. _

The Aurors are here. Best make myself scarce now_, he thought, but not before swiftly checking the baby. It was still alive, though most probably highly traumatized. _

_Giving the tiny creature a look over, he was satisfied to see it was unharmed, apart from a slightly vicious cut on its forehead._

Be strong_, was his last thought before he apparated away in a swirl of robes._

* * *

Harry woke up, covered in sweat and tangled in his sheets. The bright summer morning sunshine streamed through the windows; making him squint. Glancing over to his side, he noted that either Beth had woken at a ridiculously early hour, or she'd slept somewhere else for the night. 

_What was _that_? It's almost as if I was someone else, and…was that…my _mother

Harry lay in his bed for awhile, just thinking. However, it was not long before he heard a tentative knock on the door.

"Harry?" came the voice, which he recognized as Sirius'. The door opened a crack and Sirius poked his head round the door; his hair was tousled and there were dark circles under his eyes.

Harry sat up in the bed, untangling his legs and pulling the duvet tightly around himself. "Hey Sirius," he said weakly.

The door opened wider and Sirius darted in the room to pull Harry into a tight hug. Harry let his godfather embrace him, let himself sink into the warmth. It let him know he wasn't alone, and at least one other person understood his grief.

After a moment, Sirius released him and held him at arms length.

"I'm fine, Padfoot," said Harry wearily. "_Really_."

Sirius merely replied with a sceptical look and a raised eyebrow. "Harry, when we found you yesterday after he died, you were sobbing and nearly hysterical. You are _not_ _fine_."

"It's…just my way of dealing with things Padfoot; I'd go crazy if I just cried all the time, I mean…"

Sirius nodded in sympathy and said, "Harry, I think you ought to go see Beth and Violetta. I mean, it's just…you're not the only one grieving, and Violetta…" said Sirius hesitantly, hoping that he hadn't hurt Harry's feelings.

To his relief, Harry nodded. "I'd forgotten," he said quietly, suddenly feeling guilty for only thinking about himself.

Guessing the thoughts foremost on his godson's mind, Sirius quickly reassured him. "No, Harry, you've had a tough night, and will have an even tougher week ahead. There's nothing for you to feel guilty about, do you understand?"

Again, Harry nodded. "Should we go see them now, then?" he asked, a lock of black hair falling over his emerald eyes.

For a moment, Sirius hesitated, but the determined expression on Harry's face persuaded him to escort the boy to Violetta's room, where both she and Beth were sleeping.

Sirius knocked softly on the door, Harry holding his other hand tightly.

When there was no reply, Sirius knocked again, slightly louder. However, after waiting for about a minute with no reply forthcoming, he opened the door cautiously.

The room was shrouded in darkness, the drapes pulled fully across the windows, except for the tiniest sliver of light by Violetta's desk. A figure sat at the desk, writing. However, at the sound of Harry's footsteps on the wooden floor, the figure turned around.

"Harry," said Violetta, greeting him with a forced smile. After nodding to Sirius, she turned back to Harry. "Are you alright Harry?" she said.

Automatically, Harry started to nod, but after a pause, turned it into a shake, his hair brushing over his forehead. Swallowing deeply, Harry bit his lip before releasing Sirius' hand and running over to Violetta, who had half risen from her seat.

Sirius watched the scene sadly, and when another shadowy blur attached itself to Violetta, he turned and left the room.

* * *

After a good hour or so spent simply crying and hugging and crying again, Violetta dried her eyes and pushed the two children into the bathroom to wash and prepare themselves for the day. With an order for Harry to help his little sister, Violetta left to summon a House Elf. 

"What can Dobby do for Mistress today?" said the small creature.

"A light breakfast for three, please, in the Blue Room and a change of clothes for Beth and Harry," she said. However, just before she dismissed the elf, she added, "Actually make it breakfast for four, and let Sirius Black know that he's invited for breakfast."

The elf bowed low, and left.

Just as Violetta was about to check on Beth and Harry, she heard a tapping from the window. Moving over to the only uncovered window, she opened it, allowing a small barn owl to swoop in before alighting on her desk, where it held out a leg.

Violetta swiftly removed the small roll of parchment and fed the owl a custard cream, which it accepted happily.

She unrolled the parchment with trembling hands, roughly breaking the seal with her wand. Taking a deep breath, she lowered her eyes to the elegantly written words and read.

_My darling Violetta,_

_I wish I could be with you now, but as we both know, I cannot. Do not despair, your father was a great man, and he is now without all mortal pains. _

_Spend time with your brother and sister, as they too will be grieving and will be able to offer you comfort that many others cannot._

_I will be able to Portkey to my uncle's house later this evening, and from there, I will Floo to your home. Expect me at around eight._

_With all my love,_

_Caelus _

Violetta blinked away the rebellious tears that threatened to stain her cheeks as she re-read the letter. _Dear, dear, sweet Caelus_, she thought, as a triumphant teardrop escaped and blotted on the parchment in her hand.

"Are you alright, Violetta?" asked a soft voice by her elbow.

Violetta looked down at Beth, standing at her elbow, Harry by her side, one hand clutching Beth's protectively and the other fruitlessly trying to flatten his hair.

Unconsciously, she smiled. Harry was such a brave boy; only ten, and yet he behaved like a man, an adult in miniature, and she couldn't help but feel sad. However, now was not the time for reminiscing. She was in charge now, and it was her duty to care for her little 'brother and sister'.

"I'll be fine. Come on, breakfast will be ready soon, and I asked Sirius to join us." Harry brightened up, as did Beth when they heard that, and Violetta's smile widened.

Together, the three made their way over to the Blue Room, the sunny room next to the kitchens. Before Beth and Harry had come to live in the fortress, whenever Violetta stayed, she usually ate with her father in his rooms. However, as the children seemed to have developed an unusual friendship with the House Elves, it had been decided that the Blue Room would be a more appropriate room for meals.

That, and the fact that her father had seemed comically protective of the numerous books, along with the priceless Muggle art collection he owned, the most rare of which he kept in his rooms. Judging by the way Beth managed to coat her side of the table in gravy on a regular basis, Tom Riddle had made a good decision.

Violetta firmly stifled the urge to weep again at the thought of her father, concentrating instead on helping Beth pour out her pumpkin juice. Then, her attention was diverted by a tricky bean that refused to stay on the end of her fork.

It appeared that both Beth and Harry were doing exactly as she did – turning their attention away from her father's death and forcing themselves to focus on the comparatively empty and painless task of eating breakfast. There was complete silence apart from the scraping of cutlery against china.

Sirius joined them and after a polite nod to Violetta and hugs to the children, was soon was tucking in to some meaty bacon served with two perfectly fried eggs and a stack of toast. However, the delicious food didn't seem to do anything to perk him up either, and the meal continued in silence.

Violetta was pushing the remains of her beans and toast around the plate when there was a sudden commotion outside the door. Raising her head slightly, Violetta looked up just in time to see a tall man clad in pale grey robes brush his way past an aggrieved House Elf.

"Caelus!" she cried, rushing to meet the man. The two embraced for a moment before parting hesitantly.

Sirius stood, nodding once. "Malfoy," he said politely.

Caelus Malfoy returned the gesture with a quiet, "Black," his arms still wrapped protectively around Violetta's waist. Turning back to her, he kissed her on the forehead before whispering softly in her ear, "Don't worry, I'll take care of you."

"Caelus…how…I thought you couldn't make it this soon?"

"Well, I'm here now, aren't I?" responded Caelus cheekily.

Violetta didn't dignify him with a reply and pulled put of his tight embrace to frown at him. Caelus sighed, albeit still with his cheeky grin.

"Well, I simply swapped with Etienne. I just told him that I miss my fiancée, which, in my defence, is completely true."

Violetta buried herself in Caelus' arms, and Harry, Beth and Sirius took that as their cue to leave. However, just as Harry and Beth reached the door, Violetta looked up and said, "Harry, Beth, don't go. Please, stay."

Harry and Beth stood obediently just inside the door while Sirius slipped out quietly. Just before he left, Harry caught sight of Sirius' face, and he almost ran after his godfather. Sirius looked so alone and left out, but it was only a flash, the next moment, Sirius had the emotionless mask that he had worn since Tom's death back on, and Harry wondered if he'd imagined it.

"Caelus, this is Harry and Beth," said Violetta, jarring Harry out of his thoughts.

Harry held out a hand politely, not entirely sure how to greet Caelus, but deciding on the least offensive course of action. Beth just stared with large brown eyes for a second before ducking behind Harry.

Caelus shook Harry's hand and then looked hard at him; almost as if he were trying to see into his head. Harry stared back steadily and for a second, it was as if there were two Harry s. One was solid; a small boy with messy black hair and the other semi-opaque; a tall man, also with black hair, but much neater. Then, the second figure disappeared and only the small boy remained.

Caelus gasped and took an involuntary step back. Violetta looked at him in confusion.

"Caelus, what's wrong?"

"Violetta, did you see the…apparition?"

Violetta shook her head slowly. But by then, Beth had plucked up the courage to peer at Caelus from behind her brother and interrupted.

"Who are you?" she asked in her soft, childish voice.

Violetta realised that she had never finished the introductions. With a last inquiring look at Caelus, she turned to her little sister.

"Caelus is my fiancé, Beth."

Beth wrinkled her brow in a quick frown. "What's a…a fancy…feensee?"

"Fiancé," corrected Harry. "It means he and Violetta are going to get married," he explained, squeezing his sister's hand. Then, to Caelus and Violetta, he said, "Congratulations. We wish the best for you both."

Caelus raised a pale eyebrow at the small boy's formality, but nevertheless smiled, saying, "Thank you."

* * *

"Cousin, you seem a bit solemn today." 

"Go away, Bellatrix," growled Sirius, trying to concentrate on the spider that was intently weaving a web in the corner of the windowsill.

"And what has my darling cousin all hot and bothered?" asked Bellatrix in a sing-song voice.

"Go _away_, Bellatrix."

"Oh, is it a boy problem, Siri? Shall I get Rodolphus to talk to you, then?"

"Bellatrix, is your sole purpose of existence to annoy me? Because if it isn't, then you have no valid excuse to remain in my presence."

"Touchy, touchy," she said. Then, in a more serious voice, she said, "Really, Sirius, if there's something wrong, you can talk to me."

Sirius swallowed hard, still not looking at her. Instead, he raised his eyes to look out of the window at the now sunny, blue sky outside.

"I don't know, Bella," he said finally. "Is there any point in continuing this fight now that he's dead? It was all so sudden – we don't have a leader anymore and it's all just going to fizzle away."

Bellatrix fixed her cousin with a knowing look but decided not to say anything more than, "If there's anything else you want to talk about, let me know. Remember, you can talk to me as a Mediwitch if you want absolute assurance of your privacy." She turned to leave him, but then paused.

"However, I'd rather you spoke to me as your cousin." Then just as she turned to leave, she said, "Oh, and I haven't told anyone else yet who Cornix is, so you'd better be more careful unless you want everyone to assume that Sirius Black is 'following in the footsteps of his deranged cousin Bellatrix'."

There was no reply as she left.

* * *

The next three weeks flew by. Unfortunately for Harry and Beth, the day-to-day running of the fortress and Tom's army took up most of Sirius' time, and Violetta had to make regular appearances with her adopted family to throw off any potential suspicion. 

Fortunately for her, Caelus was always at her side to support her. In public, it seemed perfectly normal for the long-separated couple to spend so much time together – Caelus was the British representative in the French Ministry of Magic and so spent most of his time in France, away from his fiancée.

However, those in the know knew that Caelus was providing some greatly needed support to Violetta, who was still grieving over her father's death.

The funeral took place in the second week. It was just before dawn when they gathered, just outside the walls of the fortress, but still well within the powerful wards and charms that protected it. Dressed in uniform black robes and masks, they stood to attention in formation, wands at the ready.

The Lady Darkness stood in her usual place in the innermost ring of the colossal circle. Next to her stood two small figures, also wearing black masks and robes, although they did not have wands.

When all had gathered and were still and silent, the Lady took a step forward towards her father's body, lying on a slab of marble in the centre. High above him, a small, translucent globe hung, pulsing slightly. She stood there, as if waiting for a signal.

Then, the first few rays of sunlight crept into the dark sky, lighting up the outermost edges to give it a slightly golden hue. The Lady raised her wand and the others followed as one.

"_INCENDIO_!" they cried, and their spells simultaneously hit the globe.

The small, hovering ball burst into flames and they all lowered their wands. Their part in the ceremony was over. Now it was time to watch the magic do its work.

Slowly, the flames flickered over the globe. Then, the globe began to grow, expanding outwards, the orange flames burning brighter and hotter.

The innermost circle took a step back, pushing the others along. The heat was intense and soon, even those on the edges could feel the rise in temperature.

Gradually, the flames faded to yellow, then green. The globe continued to expand. It was now about the size of a small horse, and still growing. Finally, the flames acquired a bluish tint, and soon, azure flames were flickering brightly in the ever-brightening sky.

Without any warning, dark blue tendrils shot out from the ball of flames and surrounded Lord Voldemort's body, creating a dome of blue fire.

They were all sweating beneath the thick robes now and their hot breath stifled them under the masks. However, not a soul moved as they watched the dome acquire a more solid form, flickering and crackling less.

The fiery globe was soon engulfed by the dome which was now starting to expand slowly. They all took a few more steps back to avoid being burnt.

Suddenly, two thick tendrils shot out from the dome, straight at Violetta. Caelus, who stood immediately behind her, started but before he could react, the tendrils faded to white and wrapped around her. However, after merely a few seconds, the white tendrils withdrew, shifting back to their earlier vivid blue, and hovered, almost uncertainly, if it was possible for a magical fire to be uncertain.

* * *

Beneath her mask, Violetta's face expressed the same confusion as the flickering blue flames in front of her. She was her father's only child; who else could be his heir? In front of her, the flames continued to flicker blue. 

Then, they lunged to Violetta's side, paling to a blinding white. Gasping, Violetta twisted around just in time to see the tendrils wrap themselves around Harry, enveloping the young boy in their dazzling light. Everyone who stood in the immediate area hurriedly moved away to avoid being either burnt or blinded, except Violetta. She wasn't worried, as her robe and mask were carefully charmed against such events.

Instead, she watched as the little boy with old eyes received what she'd always thought of as _her_ inheritance.

* * *

Harry stared in awe at the beautiful colours that swirled around him playfully. They reminded him rather of when Tom had died. 

His joy faded when he started to think of that awful day; the day that Tom had died. But the colours swirled faster and faster, and he suddenly had this _feeling_ that they were telling him not to be sad anymore.

Without warning, the colours swirled so fast that they merged into a single, dazzling white, and information and thoughts and magic started to flow into his head. It wasn't painful; it felt rather overwhelming instead and Harry started to feel a little light-headed.

Just before he passed out, he swore he saw Tom smiling reassuringly at him.

* * *

"Harry!" cried Sirius, just as the limp body of his godson fell to the ground. HE gathered the little boy up in his arms and tried to listen for a heartbeat; the small figure looked uncomfortably dead. 

The blazing white flames had just pulled away from Harry, returning to the blue dome, which then collapsed in on itself to reveal a slab of plain obsidian. Violetta had moved over to her father's resting place alone, leaving Beth with Caelus Malfoy.

But Sirius wasn't thinking about any of this. Thankfully, he detected a weak _thud-thud _of a heartbeat, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Looking up, he noticed his cousin Bellatrix standing above him, and he stood up, Harry still clutched protectively in his arms.

"Cornix, we should take the boy…our new lord indoors to be treated."

Sirius nodded dully, and it was only when he felt the familiar jerking of the Portkey, did he realise _who_ his godson now was.

* * *

"Father, I don't know why I've been passed over…but I'd have appreciated some warnin – no. No, you didn't know you were going to die when you did...so soon. But…what is it that makes him more your heir than I could be? I wish you could tell me." 

Behind her, her father's army filed away in strict order under the command of the Inner Circle. Suddenly, a hand touched her shoulder and Violetta whirled around, straight into her fiancé's chest. Beth stood beside him, clutching his other hand.

"Oh Caelus," she said, and once again, she broke down and sobbed against his chest.

* * *

Little Beth stood next to the two grown-ups, one who happened to be her sister and who was shaking with heartbreaking sobs. Although Caelus was trying to comfort her, it was quite obvious that it wasn't working. 

So, Beth did what she always remembered Harry doing for her, and wrapped her small arms around Violetta's waist and let her cry.

In front of them, the obsidian tombstone reflected the early morning sun and the inscription, made of tiny, embedded diamonds, sparkled rebelliously against the pitch black of the stone.

_Tom Marvolo Riddle,_

_Lord Voldemort_

_31 December 1926 – 10 July 1991_

* * *

Huge, huge apologies for taking so long to update, despite reassuring several reviewers otherwise. Umm...it was mainly because I just sort of ran out of ideas, plus I'm not a really big fan of this chapter. Not only that, but writing a story with no plan whatsoever? Bad idea, very bad idea. I'm starting to wonder what possessed me to kill off Voldemort...oh well.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, and I'll try to get the next chapter out in, shall we say...ten days?

Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7 A Change of Identity

**A Darker Destiny**

**

* * *

Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**

* * *

Note:** This was written in response to a challenge by Brilliance of the Moon.**

* * *

Chapter 7** A Change of Identity 

"How is he?"

"He'll be fine. It was mainly exhaustion; nothing Severus' potions can't help and the worst he'll feel when he wakes up is a slight headache."

Sirius nodded. He stood in one of the private rooms in the hospital wing that had been built in case of the need of severe quarantine. His cousin Bella frowned for a second before asking, "Why did Harry receive the power from our lord? Isn't Violetta his heir?"

"That's what I thought too," replied Sirius with a frown. "Apparently she isn't."

The two stood there for a long moment, just processing the information.

"What does this mean, then?" said Bella, breaking the silence. "He's a bit young to be plotting attacks and manipulating the Ministry," she continued with a wry smile.

Sirius shook his head, his mouth a tight line. "I'd rather he just went to school, played Quidditch, pulled pranks on the Slytherins-" He broke of abruptly when he caught Bella's raised eyebrow.

"What I meant was -," he amended quickly, "- pulled pranks on the _rest of the school_…". The tone of his voice darkened, "You know, just have a normal childhood."

Bella's face softened and she nodded in agreement. "But that won't happen, Siri. You know that. It's not just that he's Lord Voldemort's heir; you musn't forget that he's still on the Ministry's list of missing children, along with Beth."

"Maybe…I don't know. He could go to Beuxbatons or even Durmstrang. But we can't just force him to stay here in the fortress all his life – he'll go mad!"

"He'll find ways to occupy himself. Besides, he needs training." When Sirius looked like he was going to interrupt, she stopped him, "Training that he wouldn't receive in Hogwarts, Beuxbatons, or even Durmstrang," she said firmly.

However, Sirius Black was a stubborn man, and once he got an idea into his head, he wouldn't let it go, short of being threatened with Azkaban.

"Violetta managed it. If Lord Voldemort's _daughter_ can attend Hogwarts undetected, then surely Harry will be able to."

"Violetta spent her entire life as a Black, with established records and an impeccable history. Harry, on the other hand, is either a runaway or a hostage as far as the Ministry is concerned. As is his five-year old sister." Bella sighed. "I just don't want you doing anything foolish, Siri."

Sirius kept his silence and after a moment, left the room.

Staring at her favourite cousin's retreating back, Bella bit back a sigh and retreated to the quarantine room; it was again time to check on Harry.

* * *

A fortnight had passed since the funeral, and the fortress was a buzz of activity. 

Due to the lack of a clear leader, Sirius decided to call a meeting of the Inner Circle, in his guise as Cornix. They met in the usual chamber; a long, elegant mahogany table sat in the centre, surrounded by ten matching carved chairs. The walls were lined with brightly flickering torches and the floor covered in warm skins. The effect was elegant, but cosy.

Cornix sat at the head of the table and watched as the rest of the Inner Circle made their way in. When they were all finally settled, the meeting began.

"Where's the Lady? What are you doing here?" a tall man with clear blue eyes and golden, wavy hair asked abruptly. Evan Rosier.

Cornix smiled under his mask. "She is currently tending to her...other life...so as not to raise suspicion. Whoever ordered our lord's assassination is sure to be observing members of certain families in order to determine who is on our side."

"And what of the new lord?"

Cornix smiled. Severus Snape. Renowned potions master and bane of Sirius' existence at Hogwarts. Who would have thought they'd end up fighting on the same side?

"He is resting. The transference was completely successful, but at the same time slightly unusual, so Bellatrix advises keeping him under close observation for at least a day or two longer."

Bellatrix nodded in agreement, while the others repeated the gesture, except in understanding.

"You never answered my first question," said Rosier. The others looked up in surprise. "Who are you? You know who we are but we don't know you. If you intend to lead us, we'd like to match a face to the voice. And preferably a name too."

"Lord Voldemort trusted me" stated Cornix bluntly.

"He trusted you because he knew who you are. Can you at least grant us that small boon?"

Cornix didn't even have to look to identify the smooth, cultured voice of Lucius Malfoy. But Malfoy did have a point. Discretely, he cocked his head in Bellatrix's direction.

She nodded minutely, but the movement was not unnoticed by her husband Rodolphus, who sat next to her.

"Bella? You know who he is?" The others turned to face the couple. Bella smirked confidently.

"She does. After all, we are cousins," said Cornix. All attention reverted to him. With a smooth movement, Cornix removed his mask, revealing his face.

A pause. Then…

"_Black_!" cried five voices; one, Snape's, sounded especially horrified.

The Lestrange brothers' jaws dropped, Rodolphus' in particular. Evan Rosier was shaking his head slowly and Lucius Malfoy was trying, very unsuccessfully, not to appear shocked. Severus Snape simply looked murderous. The last man in the room merely looked at Sirius curiously; Barty Crouch Jr. had never met Sirius face-to-face before.

"It's a pleasure to meet you gentlemen under these, shall we say, more pleasant circumstances than previously," said Sirius, trying very hard not to laugh at the gormless faces of the normally highly controlled men.

"You do realise that your friends will think you a traitor for joining Lord Voldemort, don't you?" said Snape finally.

"What friends?" was Sirius' short reply. He ignored the raised eyebrows around the table and cleared his throat.

"Look, we all have the same goal – to win this war. The Ministry is incurably corrupt, and according to Macnair, the person who employed him wasn't representing the Ministry. He wouldn't have done it if it was."

An uncomfortable silence hung over the room. Finally, Rosier spoke up.

"If it wasn't the Ministry, then who?"

Sirius shrugged his shoulders lightly, but before he could say anything, Malfoy interrupted.

"The spell Macnair used; did he tell you where he learnt it?"

Sirius nodded. "His employer, who wore a grey, hooded cape and had some sort of obscuring charm on, gave him the incantation. Macnair was contacted by a common barn owl, most likely from the Post Office, and they met in a private room at the _Weeping Widow_ in Knockturn Alley. The man demonstrated on a rat, gave Macnair a scrap of parchment with the incantation and then left."

When Rabastan looked like he was about to speak, Sirius shook his head. "And no, we couldn't trace anything from the parchment."

Turning to Malfoy, Sirius said, "Do you know anything about the origins of the spell? I remember you doing some research in the library."

"Yes, I was just about to mention it. I couldn't find anything about the spell, only that it might be a hybrid of the Cruciatus Curse and the Killing Curse."

Although no one quite gasped, everyone in the room was clearly feeling very reluctant admiration for the skill and power of their opponent, and at the same time revulsion at the thought of _combining_ two of the Unforgivables into one curse.

"How…" started Sirius.

Malfoy nodded, understanding the unspoken question. "Macnair told me the incantation and Severus confirmed it." When the others looked at Severus questioningly, the man simply said, "Veritaserum and Legillimancy."

After a few minutes debating the finer points of the curse, and the creation of said curse, Crouch decided to broach a far more complicated matter.

"And who will lead us now? Lord Voldemort is dead, and his heir is a ten-year old boy with minimum experience in basic school level magic, let alone complicated offensive magic and strategies."

"He can be taught. I propose that we teach the boy, advise him," said Rabastan.

"He's _ten years old_," said Sirius harshly. "At least allow him his childhood. Merlin knows he won't have much of a life when he's of age, why should we forbid him a normal life now?"

Silence reigned after Sirius' outburst. Then, Malfoy spoke up, cautiously. "How about sending him to Hogwarts?"

The others stared at him. "Are you out of your mind Lucius? Besides, how would he _get_ into Hogwarts. Dumbledore is a close friend of the Potters, I think he'd notice if James Potter's son turned up with the First Years."

Lucius glared at Rosier. "I am _not_ out of mind, Evan. At least he'll be in the same country. And as I hold a senior position on the Board of Governors, I don't think I'll have too much trouble admitting a…cousin…of the Malfoy family."

"Are you sure Lucius?" said Sirius. Looking to Bellatrix, he continued, "I don't agree with sending Harry to Hogwarts, but if he has to go, he's always welcome as as a member of the Black family. I mean, Violetta's practically adopted him and Beth as her little brother and sister -"

"It's too easy to raise suspicions with _another_ 'lost' Black. But my nephew Caelus is Violetta's betrothed. If we say Harry is Caelus' brother or cousin, or something along those lines, from the continental side of the Malfoy family, Dumbledore won't think twice of a new, previously unrecorded student."

"…That's true," conceded Sirius after some thought. Then he looked up at Lucius. "How soon can you get his letter sent out?"

Lucius smirked triumphantly. "If we get his 'background' sorted out today, he'll have the letter by next week."

* * *

"Ah, Minerva. Excellent. Lemon drop? No? Right then, to business. Lucius Malfoy has written to request the acceptance of his nephew, Valerius, as a First Year this September." 

"He's left it a bit late, hasn't he Albus?" said Minerva McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress, sceptically.

"Well, it seems that another of Mr Malfoy's nephews, Caelus Malfoy, young Valerius' cousin, will shortly be moving to Britain from France, and the arrangement seemed convenient since Draco, Mr Malfoy's son, is the same age as Valerius."

Minerva sat quietly as she processed the new information. The Headmaster smiled genially as he sucked a lemon drop.

"Will you be able to owl the letter in time?" he asked his deputy.

"Of course; I'll go do it now. Is that all you wanted, Albus?"

The Headmaster's smile faded slightly. "Unfortunately, no. I also received a call from an old friend, Nicholas Flamel."

Minerva raised an eyebrow questioningly. "And what did he want?"

The Headmaster sighed and clasped his hands before he began his long explanation.

* * *

It was early in the morning when the barn owl pecked on the window. It had braved a sudden summer downpour halfway across Yorkshire and had just struggled through the violent gale that raced around the hillside that protected Voldemort's fortress. 

Harry sat at the table in the Blue Room, Beth sitting next to him and Sirius across on the other side. He was slowly spooning cereal into his mouth and trying to read the back page of the _Daily Prophet_ that Sirius had partially propped up on the toast rack.

"Harry, Padfoot, I think there's an owl trying to get in."

The two looked up and followed Beth's finger to the window, where they could just make out a very ruffled owl holding onto the sill for dear life.

Sirius' lips twitched slightly before he raised his wand to open the window. The previously muffled howling increased in volume and dust and leaves followed the owl as it swooped in and landed next to the bacon, dropping a damp envelope in front of Harry. Another wave of the wand and the window closed with a sharp _click_.

It was Beth's giggles that started the others off. Granted, Harry's hair was usually an unrivalled mess, but at that very moment Beth and Sirius were vying for a very close second. Between snorts of laughter, Sirius managed to gasp out the appropriate incantations in order to set not only themselves but also the Blue Room back to their previous states.

Harry only stopped giggling when the barn owl pecked him on the arm.

"Ouch! That hurt," said Harry, rubbing the tender skin. "Alright, alright, don't get your feathers in a twist," he continued, hurriedly handing over two thick slices of bacon to the owl.

Sirius watched him closely, his earlier cheer at seeing his godson laughing disappearing rapidly. Biting his bottom lip, Harry frowned at the address, written in emerald green ink, on the front of the envelope.

_Mr. Valerius O. Malfoy_

_Chateau Argentin _

_Paris _

This had been crossed out with purple ink, and a new address written in tiny, elegant script below.

_Mr. Valerius O. Malfoy_

_Peris Manor_

_Capel Curig_

Once again, the address was crossed out. It finally, in dark blue writing so small Harry had to squint to make it out, proclaimed,

_Mr. Valerius O. Malfoy_

_Nox Place_

_Harbledown_

Harry looked up at his godfather, making no move to open the letter. Sirius looked back at his godson.

"Aren't you going to open it?" he said.

"I don't know. I mean, once I open it, I'll really be Valerius Malfoy." Harry heaved a sigh. "Not that I wasn't before…I mean…I don't know what I mean. I'm rambling, aren't I?"

Sirius opened his mouth to reply, but was beaten to it by Beth. "Yep, Harry's rambling and babbling. I've got a babbling brother." Harry mock-frowned at her happy laugh, but then conceded and smiled slightly.

"Right then," said Harry firmly. He grabbed a clean butter knife and slid it under the seal. A flick of his wrist and the envelope was open. Harry gingerly extracted the folded parchment inside and smoothed it open, pressing out the crease in the centre.

Even Beth was silent, realising that there was a serious matter afoot. After a few minutes, Harry looked up from the parchment.

"Well, I suppose I'm going to Hogwarts then. And we'll have to go to Diagon Alley to get my equipment. Here's the list," he said, holding out a piece of parchment to Sirius.

Sirius smiled tentatively. "So…?" he hedged warily.

"So I'm going to Hogwarts. I need to make friends my age, don't I? And Beth will live with Violetta and Caelus, just like we discussed." When Sirius didn't reply, Harry offered up a smile to match Sirius'.

"Truthfully, I'd want to stay with Beth and make sure she's alright, but I suppose we can't have everything, can we?"

"No, we can't," agreed Sirius.

* * *

"Harry, do you _have_ to go away to school?" 

Harry and Beth were in their room. The bag they'd taken from the Potter's was at the end of Harry's bed and half open, with several books poking out.

"Yes. They say I have to 'be in an environment with other children my age, grow up as a normal child and learn magic'," said Harry curling his fingers into mock inverted commas.

"And besides, the only alternative would be to be tutored here, and no one really has the time to do it. They've all got another life, you know, jobs and families. Apparently, Tom was thinking of doing that, but now he's not around anymore, so…"

The two drifted into silence for a few minutes as Harry moved around the room, collecting books to be considered for packing.

"Harry?"

"Yes, Beth."

"What was that that happened to you at Tom's funeral? With the fire?"

Harry stiffened slightly. "Well, it's part of the ceremony. The flames seek out the heir of the person who died. Then, they sort of transfer a part of the dead person into the heir."

"So you've got a part of Tom in you now? From the flames?"

"Apparently so," Harry replied distractedly as he attempted to squash an uncooperative book into the bag.

"Oh. But how -"

"Beth, I really don't know. Neither do Sirius or Violetta or anyone else here. They've never heard of anything quite like this before. Please, stop asking me."

Beth bit her lower lip and turned away from Harry to face the large windows. Harry sighed and put the book and bag down.

"I'm sorry, Beth. I'm just a bit stressed out, not to mention completely thrown about being Tom's heir. It…it just means so much responsibility, and I'm not sure I'll be able to do it properly."

He sighed again. "And Sirius and the others don't even really know what it means to be Tom's heir. Everyone just assumed it'd be Violetta. Normally, the biological chid of the person is the heir. Maybe I'll just be more powerful or maybe I'll even get Tom's memories. Everything's so uncertain, Beth and I'm so, so very sorry I can't be a better brother for you."

To his surprise, his little sister wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a tight hug. "Sorry, Harry. I s'pose I should've realized that you were busy. And you're a great brother, silly. Don't ever, ever, _ever_ think you aren't."

Harry smiled as he enveloped his little sister in a warm embrace.

* * *

July ended with a quiet birthday party for Harry at Peris Manor, a beautiful house surrounded by woods, where Harry and Beth now lived with Violetta and, most of the time, Caelus. Sirius Floo-ed over, along with Bella and they celebrated simply. 

The time Harry spent at Peris was relaxing, and he was able to forget about inheritances and magical schools in the joy of playing with Beth, reading in the fantastic library or swooping above the trees at Peris Wood on his broomstick.

But as it often does when you don't want it to, Time flew by and seemingly in the blink of an eye, it was the last week of August.

As arranged, Lucius Malfoy arrived at Peris with a house-elf on the twenty-sixth via Portkey to take Harry to Malfoy Manor, where he would be staying until he started at Hogwarts.

Through a mixture of magical and muggle means, Harry now had blond hair and his intense green eyes were now a much more subtle greyish-green. His nose was also slightly pointier, so to anyone who wasn't looking, and indeed, even to anyone who was, he was unrecognisable as Harry Potter.

When Harry landed on a gleaming marble floor, the first thing he saw was a delicate pair of pointed shoes. Scrambling up and dusting himself, he bowed to greet the mistress of the house, Narcissa Malfoy.

Mrs Malfoy looked down coldly at Harry, but nevertheless nodded to him.

"Valerius, I take it?" she asked.

"Yes, Mrs Malfoy," replied Harry meekly.

She scrutinised him before raising bejewelled hands and clapped twice. An unusually tall house-elf with tufts of greying hair popped into the room and bowed low, its nose touching the floor.

"Gibbs, take Master Valerius to the library," she ordered. Then, turning to Harry, she said, "I will be along shortly with your cousin, Draco."

Before Harry could even nod in agreement, she had swept out of the room, leaving Harry and the house-elf alone.

"This way, Master," squeaked Gibbs. Harry followed obediently.

He was brought to a large, ornate door of pale wood and was, when Harry looked closer, embedded with swirls of silver and tiny, shimmering jewels. The house-elf opened the door, and then stepped to the side.

Inside, Harry found a veritable treasure cave of books. However, his desire to explore the vast room was halted when the door opened again and Narcissa Malfoy entered, her son Draco following closely behind.

Draco Malfoy was of average height and build, but possessed the same striking blond hair that his father had. He was dressed richly in fine fabrics like many other rich purebloods that Harry had met.

"I'm Draco," he said, politely holding out a hand. "I suppose you're my cousin Valerius?"

Harry smiled, quickly at ease with his 'cousin'. "Yes, I'm Valerius."

Before either boy could say anymore, Lucius strode into the room.

"Welcome to Malfoy Manor, Valerius. I see you've met Narcissa and Draco," said Lucius with a small smile. Then, turning to his wife, he said, "Let's give the boys some time to get to know each other," he said.

Harry watched in astonishment as Mrs Malfoy's previously icy face softened into a smile. Facing her son, she said, "Do take care of your cousin, Draco. And do _not_ go outside with your brooms without telling at least a house elf." She addressed the last part to both boys. Then, the couple left.

The boys looked at each other awkwardly for a long moment, fidgeting.

"So…do you play Quidditch?" asked Harry, breaking the silence.

Draco grinned. "Of course," he said scornfully. "But it's such a bother that First Years aren't allowed broomsticks at Hogwarts." Harry nodded in agreement.

"What position do you play, then?" asked Harry. "I rather fancy Seeker, but Chaser's alright for me."

"Same here," said Draco happily, moving to sit in an armchair by the fire. Harry followed his lead and sat in the armchair across and soon both boys were absorbed in a lengthy debate on Quidditch.

* * *

Living at Malfoy Manor was almost like living with his parents again. Although the fortress, Nox Place, was fairly luxurious, it was still, first and foremost, a military base. The Manor, however, according to Draco, had been built primarily for leisure by one of the earliest Malfoys. There were hundreds of bedrooms, an enormous library and five elaborately decorated ballrooms. 

But that was not where the boys spent the bulk of their time.

Situated on a small hill and enclosed with almost as many charms and wards as the fortress, the manor itself overlooked rolling fields in all directions, and similarly to Peris Manor, there was a wood at the boundary of the estate. As the wards and anti-Muggle charms extended to cover the fields by the wood, Draco and Harry spent everyday of Harry's week flying there.

"Hey Val, have you ever tried a Wronski Feint?" yelled Draco across the meadow they flew above, on Harry's last day at Malfoy Manor.

Harry slowed his broomstick and turned so he now faced his cousin. "No. I've never been allowed," he said truthfully.

Draco's face split into a wide grin. "Watch this, then," he said and angled the broomstick up, shooting vertically into the air, pushing his broom to its limits. When he was just a speck in the air to Harry, he pushed the handle down, shooting towards the ground at a breathtaking speed. Just when it looked as if he would crash into the ground, Draco pulled up sharply.

Unfortunately for Draco, he wasn't _that _good a flyer, and the broom he was flying had at the most, a tenth of the precision and speed of those used by professionals.

It was with a sickening _thud_ that Draco landed on the grassy meadow. His broom had clipped a clod of dirt, sending the broom off-course and flinging the eleven-year old from the seat.

Across the green expanse, Harry gasped and leaned forward, bringing the broom to its top speed and its rider to Draco's side in a matter of seconds.

Draco was lying very still, surrounded by flowers and grass. Limbs sprawled, usually slicked back hair was strewn over his closed eyes. And a trickle of blood snaked its way out of the corner of his mouth.

* * *

In the shadowy library, James Potter cradled a glass of Firewhiskey between his hands. The only source of light was the flickering fire in front of him that threw about long shadows. 

Behind him, the door to the library opened and his wife Anne slipped in silently.

"James," she said quietly.

Startled, James jerked up quickly, causing the Firewhiskey to slosh dangerously close to the rim of the glass.

"Anne, what are you doing here? I thought you were at…"

"The Longbottoms," she finished when James trailed off uncertainly.

"That," he muttered.

Moving over and starting to gently knead his tense shoulders, Anne whispered, "James, don't keep torturing yourself over this. We'll find them, I promise. Even if one of us has to give up work, we'll find them."

James was silent for a moment, wincing at the irony. Then, hollowly, he said, "He's meant to go to Hogwarts tomorrow, Anne. Tomorrow, I should be taking him to King's Cross and waving goodbye to him…as he…"

He broke off.

Anne dropped her hands to wrap around James' arms.

"We'll find Harry, I promise you, we will."

"And Beth," murmered James.

"And Beth too."

* * *

Ten days...who was I kidding? Once again, I have no excuse. I think I'll just not give any promises regarding my update schedule. And if anyone has tips on how to keep track of everything your characters do, please let me know. All you authors out there have my respect :o) 

The other thing I have to say is thanks for reading, and also huge thanks to all my lovely reviewers. You always make my day when you review :)


End file.
